APA News Digest

March 7, 2025

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In This Edition ...

Voting Begins Monday in National Election

Members in good standing will elect a President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer to serve three-year terms starting July 1.

The following pilots were submitted for nomination and have indicated a willingness to serve: 

President
CA Bill Evans
FO Alex Gutierrez
CA Jim Scanlan
CA Edward Sicher
FO Nick Silva

Vice President
CA Chris Torres
FO Scott Yancy

Secretary-Treasurer
CA Clint Early
FO Tim Hamel
FO Philip Johnson
CA Andrew O’Hara

Nomination Round voting will open at 0000 Central on March 10 and close at 0001 Central on March 31. Each domicile’s top three candidates for each office will advance to the Election Round. (Because there are only two candidates for Vice President, that office will be excluded from the Nomination Round.)

Election Round voting will open at 0000 Central on April 8 and close at 0001 Central on April 30.

If necessary, Runoff Round voting would open at 0000 Central on May 7 and close at 0001 Central on May 29.

For more information, visit the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Voting Resumes in LAX and ORD Domicile Elections

LAX and ORD pilots will elect a Chair and a Vice Chair to represent each domicile for three-year terms starting May 1.

Election Round voting will open at 0000 Central on March 10 and close at 0001 Central on March 31. The following candidates will be listed on the Election Round ballot:

LAX Chair
CA William Brynjolfsson
CA Bill Evans
FO Scott Gaddy

LAX Vice Chair
CA Timothy Dick
FO Cort Keithley
FO Gaston Valdovinos

ORD Chair
CA Thomas Kovac
CA Wesley Smith

ORD Vice Chair
FO Paul Meyers
FO Garrett Page

If necessary, Runoff Round voting would open at 0000 Central on April 8 and close at 0001 Central on April 30.

For more information, visit the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

APA Board of Directors to Convene on March 24-26

In accordance with the APA Constitution and Bylaws Article V, Section 3.A.2.b, the APA Board of Directors will convene at union headquarters beginning at 1400 Central on Monday, March 24.

Among the items on the special meeting’s preliminary agenda:

  • American Airlines Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom will meet with the Board on Tuesday, March 25.
  • The Board will review the results of the recent round of membership polling. Polling results that are not related to negotiating strategy will be briefed in open session.

The preliminary agenda calls for the special meeting to conclude at 1445 on Wednesday, March 26.

APA Provides Perspective on Near Miss at MDW

In the wake of a near miss at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, a pair of local media outlets turned to a local pilot for perspective and context.

On Feb. 25, the pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight aborted their landing and executed a go-around to avoid a Flexjet plane that had taxied into their runway. APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer told the Daily Herald that the Southwest pilots’ actions were heroic.

“Two pilots, in a matter of less than seconds, had to make a decision that saved lives, and they did it,” he said. “It’s an affirmation that the system ultimately can work, but it should never be pushed to that close of a margin.”

CA Tajer also discussed the incident with WGN-AM. He told the radio station that everyone in aviation – from pilots and air traffic controllers to flight attendants and gate agents – should take a minute for safety.

“You wouldn’t walk into an open-heart surgery and go to the surgeon and say, ‘Hey, come on, can you hurry it up here? How quick can you get this done?’” he said. “And really, that’s what’s happening in the skies.”

APA Contract Minute – Papyrus

In the newest APA Contract Minute, Contract Compliance Committee Chair CA Jason Saxer discusses Papyrus, which he characterizes as “a Comply 365 version for all APA documents” that pilots can access via the APA Pilot app.

APA’s Scheduling Team: Here for You

This is a new message from the APA Scheduling Department.

The APA Scheduling Committee and Department are here to help with all your scheduling-related questions.

During the month of January alone, the APA Scheduling Administrators and volunteers fielded more than 1,200 phone calls and responded to hundreds of emails from members. The Scheduling team supported the Annual Vacation and June Vacancy Bid processes, in addition to recurring monthly activity such as CQT, PBS, TDY, Blank Line bidding, balloting for TTS and DOTC, and MBE.

As a reminder ...

  • PBS bidding for April will open at 1200 Central on Saturday, March 8, and close at 1200 Central on Thursday, March 13.
  • The September 2025 Vacancy Bid will close at 2000 Central on Friday, March 14

The APA Scheduling Committee and Department are here to support our pilots, so don’t hesitate to contact us whenever you need assistance with scheduling, and please remember to provide your feedback on any scheduling issues you encounter. Your perspective is invaluable.

Third-Party Transportation Double-Ups

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

This message applies only to third-party transportation, NOT hotel-provided transportation.

Third-party transportation should always be for your crew only. The Company does not book transportation double-ups. Transportation companies sometimes take the liberty of adjusting the schedule to include double-ups, inconveniencing our crews and likely double billing the Company. Each crew gets their own transportation when booked through a third party. If your flight attendants are staying at the SAME property as you, then you need to wait for them, as the Company books one vehicle in those situations. If you are staying at a different property than the flight attendants, they should have their own transportation arranged. If two crews are scheduled to arrive at approximately the same time and going to the same property, each crew should have their own vehicle. You never should be riding with crewmembers from another airline in third-party transportation. If you are deadheading and staying at the same hotel as the operating pilots, we recommend you inform them so you don’t get left behind, or vice versa.

If a third-party company has you planned for a double-up, respectfully ask them if that’s how the transportation was booked. Please remain professional, and do not be confrontational. We understand that things happen – a vehicle has a flat, someone does not show up to work, your flight is excessively delayed, etc. Try to be courteous of your fellow crew members and respectful to the transportation employees, but in any circumstance that you are required to double up, please send a Hotel Debrief. The Company will not know about the problem if we don’t inform them.

For more information, check out the QRH – Quick Reference Hotels document. This resource answers 99 percent of all hotel, transportation, and layover questions while providing helpful solutions. Suggestion: Download this QRH document to your AA iPad for easy access.

Getting Everyone on Same Page in LAX

This is a new message from the APA Professional Standards Committee.

a group of pilots around a table

Click the image for a closer look.

On Jan. 8, volunteers from the national and LAX Professional Standards Committees met with the LAX Domicile Officers and LAX Chief Pilots. The group was able to discuss the benefits of allowing Professional Standards the opportunity to handle conflict resolution amongst pilots and other employee groups. The meeting also presented an opportunity to discuss trending issues.

Attendees included:

  • APA Professional Standards Committee: Chair CA Linda Wackerman, Deputy Chair FO Zach Harris, and former Chair CA Pat McGinn (retired)
  • LAX Professional Standards Committee: Chair CA Jeff Gonzales, Deputy Chair FO Stacey Nelson, CA Tim Manzo, FO Drew Uhler, and FO Talia Meeks
  • LAX Domicile Officers: Chair CA Bill Evans and Vice Chair CA Tim Dick
  • LAX Flight Office: LAX/PHX Director of Flight CA Peter Blandino and LAX Chief Pilot CA LeRoy Young Jr.

Professional Standards is a unique union resource that handles conflict resolution amongst pilots and other work groups at the lowest level. As always, we ask our pilots to contact us FIRST if you have any issues or concerns.  We have volunteers trained to handle any matter that arises at anytime, anywhere, via our hotline: 817-402-2171.

Make Plans to Join Us at Sun ’n Fun

This is an updated message from the APA Family Awareness Committee.

The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo, the biggest and best airshow in the southeastern United States, is scheduled for the first week of April. We wanted to give everyone a heads-up before PBS bidding opens on Saturday.

We plan to serve two lunches and two dinners in our air-conditioned flightline chalet with private restrooms. Please bring your family!

The code for discounted tickets is APA995.

Besides the food and fellowship, there will be significant information passed along. You can expect to break bread with APA’s elected officials as well as volunteers from national committees.

As you make plans to join us in Lakeland, Florida, please RSVP for each meal separately so we can be sure to order enough food.

Join Us For YOUnion 201 on March 12

This is a repeated message from the APA Compass Project Committee.

The Compass Project hosts a series of YOUnion webinars to educate pilots about various stages of their careers. YOUnion 201 is designed as a “top-off” for newer pilots (6 to 18 months), but the material covered is applicable to ALL members:

  • How APA is governed by the elected officers and organized into committees.
  • What you and your family should expect from the APA.
  • How you can engage and volunteer with the APA.

The next session of YOUnion 201 is scheduled for 1100 Central on March 12 via Zoom.

Register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar from Exec_Assistant@Zoom.com.

Send your feedback to YOUnion@alliedpilots.org.

Become a Federal Flight Deck Officer

This is a repeated message from APA’s Committee for Armed Defense of the Cockpit.

Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, APA and other pilot unions aggressively advocated for the establishment of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. The FFDO program became a reality when Congress enacted the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act as part of the Homeland Security Act in November 2002. The first class of 44 FFDOs trained in April 2003.

For many years, American Airlines pilots constituted the single largest pilot bloc in the FFDO program, but that is no longer the case. The Committee for Armed Defense of the Cockpit would like for our pilots to regain that distinction and encourages every APA member to consider becoming an FFDO. The Transportation Security Administration covers all training and equipment costs for FFDOs. There is no fee for individual participants. To be eligible, you must have a current FAA Airman Certificate, a current First Class or Second Class Medical Certificate, and U.S. citizenship. All eligible flight crew members attend a one-week training course in Artesia, N.M.

Click here to complete the application to become an FFDO.

For more information, please contact the Committee for Armed Defense of the Cockpit. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

APA Welcomes New Pilots

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

a group of pilots in a lobby

Click the image for a closer look.

On March 4, the APA Membership Committee hosted a casual dinner for the following new-hire pilots: Hanny Bazih, Matthew Beckum, Alec Birchfield, James Bonelli III, Dustin Brucken, Bradley Davis, Gaston Diaz, Tristan Diepenbrock, Joseph Dugan, Jesse Foster, Cameron Garcia, Thomas Gilkey IV, David Hill, Brandon Klock, Robert Libeu, Lyndon Lochan Dass, Juan Lovi, Tammy Lyons, Jason Mascetta, James Matts, Andrew McCaffrey, David Nelson, Evan Parker, Marc Piquette, Christopher Pitcher, David Rausch, Alejandro Ravelo, Troy Rees, Lucas Rocha Luz, Samuel Rosa III, Nicholas Schwartz, Sergio Fernando Seiler Mendes, Terrence Sherman, Brian Shiles, Gregory Siegert, Trevor Smith, Nicholas Suboyu, and Tomoaki Taira.

APA Welcomes Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

a group of pilots in a lobby

Click the image for a closer look.

On March 5, the APA Membership Committee hosted a casual dinner for the following pilots who were in Fort Worth for American Airlines’ Professionalism, Leadership, and Mentoring class: Patrick Alban, Charles Bodwell, Andrew Bowman, Benjamin Busch, Eric Carter, Terry Cratty Jr., Timothy Cummings, James Deering, Kurt Eisenmann, Kathleen Elam, Daniel Kartchner, Dustin Keck, Timothy McBride, Frederick Narloch, Rodger Nelson, William O’Brien, Aaron Ochalek, Bonnie Pappas, Michael Pobiega, Ricardo Polanco, Rachael Powers, Matthew Rainey, William Salvato, Patrick Stewart, Michael Strickler, and Nathan Valle.

Gone West

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of these pilots, whose deaths we learned of in February: Ron Todd, 90, on Dec. 12; Jim Boyer, 87, on Dec. 19; Dick Wernick, 91, on Dec. 23; Tom Dwyer, 89, on Jan. 1; Doug Hufford, 66, on Jan. 2; John Berry, 69, on Jan. 5; John Hurst, 70, on Jan. 30; John Francisco, 92, on Jan. 31; Donald “Scotty” Scott, 95, on Feb. 5; Harold “Zeke” Zoellick, 92, on Feb. 10; Andy Anderson, 94, on Feb. 11; Steve Campbell, 70, on Feb. 12; Denny Lendzion, 79, on Feb. 15; Ed Collins, 90, on Feb. 18; and Ron Fischer, 65, on Feb. 19.

APA Medical Minute – Heart Valve Replacement and Repair

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Kathy Parr discusses heart valve replacement and repair, including recovery times and FAA requirements for testing and documentation.

You can watch previous Medical Minute videos on APA’s YouTube channel.

Week in Review

Here are some recent messages you may have missed.

Concourse Conversations at PHL and PHX

CA Jerry Gemma, PHL Domicile Chair FO Michael Drost, CA Erik DeWinne, and PHL Vice Chair CA Brian Sweep were among the volunteers participating in Concourse Conversations at PHL on Feb. 27. These events hosted by APA’s National Communications Network (NCN) allow union leadership to hear directly from line pilots and vice versa.

NCN will host Concourse Conversations at PHX from 1000 to 1430 on March 20. If you will be there that day, please stop by to chat.

Domicile Events

Visit AlliedPilots.org/Calendar to RSVP for any of these upcoming domicile events:

Are You Willing to Serve?

Each of these national committees or subcommittees has the indicated number of vacancies:

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Critical Incident Response Program Subcommittee (1)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivational Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (2)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (2)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • International Alliance Committee (1)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Retirement and Benefits Committee (1)*
  • Scheduling Committee (1)
  • Training Committee (0)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

* Seeking volunteer with financial services experience and possible AIF®, CFP®, or related designations.

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the Member Engagement Portal.

Professional Standards FAQs

Can management continue with a traditional process after releasing a case to Professional Standards?
No. Once an issue has been released to Professional Standards, management will not pursue action against an employee for actions contained in the referral.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

Professional Standards’ 24/7 hotline: 817-402-2181

If You’re 50, Join The Grey Eagles

Are you a pilot for American Airlines, at least age 50, active or retired? Please join The Grey Eagles for food, fun, and fellowship. We offer cruises, conventions, monthly luncheons, retirement dinners, professional mentoring, and assistance to surviving spouses – all for a one-time lifetime fee.

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Seminars

The Future & Active Pilot Alliance’s next Pilot Job Fairs are scheduled for March 14 at SAN followed by April 25 at ATL. There will also be a Future Pilot Seminar at SAN on March 15. Click here for more information.

Industry News

For more about what’s happening in the industry, be sure to visit the Industry News page on AlliedPilots.org.

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