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A union representing American Airlines pilots is reportedly raising concerns about new cockpit procedures, claiming that pilots have not been given enough time or training.
In a Jan. 2 statement, the Allied Pilot Association said American Airlines flight operations management attempted to circumvent robust safety-related pilot training by unilaterally imposing operational changes with a handout.
According to USA Today, APA spokesman Captain Dennis Tajer said they also received updates to the operations manual and a short video with a general overview of the changes, which he said were not specific to the aircraft American pilots fly.
“While the APA is not opposed to fleet harmonization, we firmly believe that pilots must be properly trained before operating with passengers. This training must be developed in a stakeholder safety culture that recognizes and addresses the concerns expressed by the APA. To date, this has not happened,” the union said. “This attempt to train by bulletin while ignoring serious safety concerns and established best practices risks dramatically eroding safety margins.”
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American Airlines planes stand on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport on December 23, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. ((Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
“Put simply, management’s actions are unwise and unsafe,” it claimed, also noting that operational changes would alter the way pilots communicate, coordinate and perform flight safety duties at some of the “most threatening flight times”.
| ticker | security | Last | To change | To change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EEL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 14.18 | +0.19 | +1.36% |
The statement accused the airline of “putting profits before people,” including passengers, and had appealed to a Federal Aviation Administration chief operations inspector “with no results or relief from that deadline.”
They urged pilots to thoroughly review operational and manual changes and discuss any concerns before performing safety tasks.
American Airlines planes parked at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“Our commitment to safety is unwavering, which is why we regularly update our aircraft operations manuals to ensure they present the latest and safest information for our pilots. Pilots can easily switch between different aircraft if they choose,” American Airlines said in a statement FOX business.
“These updates have been ongoing since 2021 and have been a coordinated effort with the APA’s Training Committee. Additionally, the approach to onboarding our pilots has been approved by the FAA,” she added.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 10: An American Airlines jet moves along the runway at Laguardia Airport in the borough of Queens, New York on November 10, 2022. ((Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)/Getty Images)
However, Tajer claimed that there was no partnership with the APA on these particular changes and that the union had asked for their implementation to be delayed, which American Airlines refused.
The pilot said a request for FAA intervention was also denied.
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“The FAA requires airlines to have robust safety management systems that allow employees to report safety concerns,” the FAA told Fox Business in an email. “The agency reviews these employee reports on a daily basis to ensure the safety of an airline’s operations.”
In a Jan. 1 management letter shared by Tajer USA Today, the pilots were told: “During this learning period, the changes are small enough that mixing the new with our current callouts and procedures would not pose undue risk .”
“On the flight deck, mixing procedures – those that are no longer valid with those that are – is reckless,” Tajer said.