American Airways pilots plan to picket at DFW, different airports over fatigue and dropped accommodations

The American Airlines pilots union plans to picket DFW International Airport and other locations like Miami after fatigue, hotel reservations and other problems after another summer of delayed and canceled flights.

The Allied Pilots Association could join Southwest Airlines pilots in information demonstrations this fall as the commercial aviation industry has not been able to smoothly return to flying after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association similarly urged pilots to begin information protests at airports in the coming weeks, although the likelihood of an actual pilot strike is slim as it is prohibited by federal law.

“Unfortunately, management has repeatedly shown that it is unable to run a reliable airline and has failed to provide us with the tools we need to do our jobs,” the Allied Pilots Union said in a press release to the members on Tuesday. “While trying to recover from weather-related disruptions (and sometimes even on days with clear skies), management often falls back on creating their own rules, generating brand-damaging headlines and jeopardizing passenger loyalty and valuable revenue.”

Pilots and flight attendants of both north Texas-based airlines have been complaining all summer that they have borne the burden of poor planning from airlines rushing to create aggressive flight schedules to meet the traveling public’s demand for the slowdown in COVID. to cover -19 pandemic.

Pilots union spokesman Dennis Tajer said the airline did not have enough pilots to operate that many flights after allowing nearly 1,000 to walk away during the worst COVID-19 pandemic.

Airlines like Southwest and American have cut travel plans for the fall to try to contain the problems.

The pickets could be the prelude to a much worse battle between the two sides as they hold talks on a new contract emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Allied Pilots Association represents all 13,400 pilots at American.

The Allied Pilots Association pointed to several routes this summer with high cancellations after routine slowdowns such as weather and technology issues. But these problems, sometimes lasting only a few hours, often paralyzed flights for several days as Americans struggled to relocate pilots and flight attendants who had reached federal flight restrictions.

The Allied Pilots Association said Americans forced pilots to work days off. Pilots also showed up at hotels in destination cities and were turned away because the airline did not provide sufficient proof of payment, and crew members were even forced to skip meals because they did not have enough time between flights.

In a letter to pilots last week, Chip Long, American Airlines’ vice president of flight operations, said the company had seen improvements since the worst fighting earlier this summer.

“We had a difficult stretch in June due to the weather, vendor staffing, and temporary pilot training challenges that may have affected you or your schedule,” Long said in the memo. “We have taken steps to ensure we support operations and get our customers where they want to go, when they want. At the same time, we continue to make important progress internally, manage and adapt in such a way that there are noticeable improvements for each of you. “

The Allied Pilots Association has announced that the first protest will take place on October 19 at Miami International Airport, the American hub for South America travel. Protests at DFW and other airports would come on future dates.

The pilots union of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines filed a lawsuit last week accusing the airline of “asymmetric warfare” in the way pilots have been treated in recent months.