American Airlines pilots said no to a holiday bonus in hopes of getting something longer-lasting.
The Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American Airlines pilots, rejected the airline’s offer to increase pay by 100% during the holiday season. This rejection occurs in tandem with the APA requesting more permanent changes in its scheduling approach and better handling of union concerns.
“While understanding that its rejection creates a disparity among our fellow workgroups that have accepted management’s proffered incentives, the Board concluded that the need to achieve meaningful permanent improvements in a new collective bargaining agreement must remain APA’s focus,” the APA said in a press release on Tuesday.
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APA representatives have repeatedly complained about how the airline schedules too many flights and makes it difficult to drop or pick up trips as is necessary. The union also claims that American Airlines often fails to provide housing or transportation for traveling crews.
This offer of additional pay comes as airlines struggle to staff enough flights to meet growing travel demands. American Airlines had to cancel or delay more than 1,000 flights in late October due to weather issues and staffing shortages.
American Airlines vowed to avoid repeating previous disruptions by offering bonus holiday pay for its 100,000 employees. The carrier said it will pay flight attendants triple for any flights between Nov. 23 and 29 and Dec. 22 and Jan. 2. The company said it would also provide bonuses for those in perfect attendance between mid-November and Jan. 2.
It is also offering holiday attendance bonuses of $1,000 to ramp workers, mechanics, dispatchers, and others.
“We are, of course, disappointed, especially since we have holiday pay programs in place for all other frontline groups at the company,” Kimball Stone, American Airlines’s senior vice president of flight operations, and Chip Long, vice president of flight operations, wrote in a memo acquired by the Washington Examiner. “But we will continue to look for opportunities to work with APA to support you during the holidays, as well as explore our options to maximize availability of existing premiums.”
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Staffing shortages are occurring at the same time as growing concerns about American Airlines staff receiving the vaccines. In October, the APA sent a letter asking the carrier that “alternate means of compliance with the Executive Order be made available for professional pilots.”
American Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner.
