American Airlines Asks Pilots for Overtime with 2600 furloughed

[jumpjet]

The truly sad part is, they will have NO PROBLEM finding guys to fly the overtime.....


Associated Press
American Airlines Asks Pilots for Overtime
Tuesday December 21, 11:30 am ET

Worried About Flight Delays, American Airlines Asks Pilots to Fly Extra Holiday Hours


DALLAS (AP) -- American Airlines is asking pilots to volunteer for overtime because the nation's largest carrier is worried about flight delays during the busy holiday season.

American is asking pilots to add flights -- at premium pay -- if they aren't already scheduled for the maximum workload of 78 hours per month, set in a contract between the Fort Worth-based carrier and the pilots union. The airline can change pilots' schedules to fill its 3,800 daily flights but can't force them to work more than the contract limit.

The request for volunteers is part of a contract reached last year between American and the Allied Pilots Association. Still, members of the union criticized American's move, which comes after 2,600 pilot layoffs -- they're called furloughs in the airline industry -- during the past three years.

"It's just poor judgment on their part," union spokesman Denis Breslin said. "It doesn't make our furloughees very happy."

A spokeswoman for American, Sonja Whitemon, said the airline has not used the provision since it was approved but reserved the right to do so during the holidays.

The airline and the union are already battling over incidents in which pilots call in sick but then use their flight benefits to travel. The company, a unit of AMR Corp., fired a pilot last week for allegedly abusing sick leave. A shortage of pilots can create flight delays. American's on-time performance fell near the bottom of large carriers earlier this year but improved to third, 82.1 percent, in October, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

AMR management...why are you surprised?

 

[XTW]

At truly fine organization , that has absolutely no grasp of reality! The proverbial "ship without a rudder".


XT

 

[pilotyip]

How come they are doing good?

ATW rates AMR as the Legacy airline that is becoming organized the quickest. They returned to profitability earlier this year. Their ratio of employees per airplane is the lowest of any of Legacy airlines. Their target as I read was to approach an employee per airplane in line with the LLC's. How is that bad management? It is saving 10,000 of jobs.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

ATW rates AMR as the Legacy airline that is becoming organized the quickest. They returned to profitability earlier this year. Their ratio of employees per airplane is the lowest of any of Legacy airlines. Their target as I read was to approach an employee per airplane in line with the LLC's. How is that bad management? It is saving 10,000 of jobs.

Not bad business so much as bad manners. Seems pretty crappy that they announce more furloughs, then ask for OT. Also, AA's mgmt is not known for any kind of tact, or good employee relations. Often asking for OT like this is not a big deal. IF handled the right way.

 

[Publishers]

Timing my be bad but the reality is you do not keep people on for two weeks of flying/.

 

[Hoot R. Hunter]

AMR management...why are you surprised?

There should be no surprise......AA mgt is quite aware that 69% of its pilots will have no problem bellying up to the trough despite the upcoming post-holiday furloughs.

 

[767..street]

Most AA pilots do not care about the pilots on furlough because 90+% of the furloughs are TWA guys not AA.

 

[Hoot R. Hunter]

Most AA pilots do not care about the pilots on furlough because 90+% of the furloughs are TWA guys not AA.

Nice try but this is not a native vs former TWA issue (and there are certainly enough of those issues). Approximately 2590 AA pilots are on the street, 45% native, 55% former TWA. This percentage will continue to narrow with the upcoming Jan furloughs and beyond.

 

[MICK]

Any AA pilot that volunteers is a SCAB!

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[46Driver]

As Devil's Advocate:
1) How do you train so many pilots in such a short time?
2) What do you do in January when traffic slumps for the winter after the holidays?

 

[PurpleTail]

At truly fine organization , that has absolutely no grasp of reality! The proverbial "ship without a rudder".

As a pilot I don't like it either but thats what management is suppose to do, get the most out of the employees you have.

It is a lot cheaper for a company to pay a pilot time and a half, or even double, than to higher an additional employee with full company benefits. Its all about the bottom line and trying to keep the stockholders happy, not the pilots. Sad but true .

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

Any AA pilot that volunteers is a SCAB!

Well, by definition, that's only true if there's an organized work action. Somehow I doubt that's the case.

 

[jetdriven]

how about not furloughing so many??

As Devil's Advocate:
1) How do you train so many pilots in such a short time?
2) What do you do in January when traffic slumps for the winter after the holidays?

 

[Launchpad]

Don't get all over AA's case, they don't even have to ask for people to pick up the slack at Delta. The Green slips have been going out like hot cakes since before 9/11, after 9/11, before holidays, after holidays, round the clock. Not to mention hiring back retiree's to fly the line. 718 furloughed still.


FYI

 

[AA717driver]

They have a plan. How dare you criticize the great Oz, er, I mean AMR!?

This is the same plan every other airline uses--furlough until you get so short that you lose money.TC

 

[aa73]

Most AA pilots do not care about the pilots on furlough because 90+% of the furloughs are TWA guys not AA.

<sigh> Always gotta be some bitter soul that brings this up no matter what the subject matter. This comment has no bearing whatsoever to the subject matter. Move on dude.

As for the ORIGINAL thread that was started, this is a bad situation for the junior guys. Can we count on the majority of the membership to "do the right thing?" This is a sure sign that AA management is feeling the heat of 2700 guys on the street.

Stay strong, stay united. Happy holidays,
73

 

[N8Dogg]

This is a sure sign of AMR feeling the heat from so many freaking companies hiding behind bankruptcy protection. The LLC's probably have a lot to do with it too. Atleast AMR is trying to run a legit operation. Good luck guys!

 

[tranceport]

this is a perfect example of why this company, its leadership, and it's employees don't get along. they still don't have a freagin clue.

amr has spent thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) on 'consulting' to mend the mgmt./ employee rift in the last year and still they choose to air their requests of employees via a press release!

if this happened at southwest (or any other carrier), it would be laughable. since this happened at amr, it's a non-event. par for the course.

What's makes amr mgmt. look like clowns even more is they are making a mockery out of themselves by asking for 'help' to make it through the holidays...by releasing this to the press just mere DAYS before they 'really' need help? Like, could you see pilots and flight attendants: "hmm, let me see if I can totally rearrange my dinner plans tomorrow so that my company can post a million less in LOSSES this month b/c they are 'short' employees'.

BOy, that's gotta give the flying public warm and fuzzies about their operation! Almost as bad as asking their passengers to 'help clean up the plane' so that they can turn it faster!

they don't call them sky nazi's for nothing!

happy holidays and don't fly amr....they may not have enough people to safely get you where you are paying them to take you!