The Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing American Airlines’ nearly 15,000 pilots, announced plans to demonstrate its dissatisfaction with the company’s policies.
As reported by CNBC, the union will «picket» several airports, protesting against heavy workloads and lack of crew hotels, and the inevitable fatigue this brings with it. These pickets will be the latest in a list of signs of growing tension between the workforce and the airlines.
The union announced in a statement that it plans to hold protests at American’s main hubs: the Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth airports. Other protests would follow «in the coming weeks». In a note to its members, the union said that «the airline must implement scheduling that respects the basic needs of its pilots to maintain the safety margins that characterize our industry.»
Companies have scrambled to try and cope with demand during the vacation months, seeking to generate revenue after the prolonged pandemic debacle. Last month, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association announced that it was considering measures similar to those proposed by APA. The union’s president, Casey Murray, announced that those plans are still under consideration.
