Under the new American Airlines pilot contract, for the first time, deadheading pilots receive upgrades ahead of customers to available first class seats at the gate.
Officially, in American Airlines computer systems, these pilots are coded with a higher priority even than top status Executive Platinum and even Concierge Key members.
AA: "Did know if you saw this but effective today, AA Deadheading pilots traveling under A1DP/A3DP status will now go on the upgrade list as a UPG0, ahead of CK and EP
Something about their ratified contract"— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) December 1, 2023
Unsold first class seats now go to employees who are not piloting an aircraft between segments on a trip they’re working. That’s different than commuting to and from their base if they live in a different city than where they’re assigned to start and end their trips.
This is broadly similar to a benefit that United pilots won three years ago. Only, unlike American Airlines, United Airlines actually got something in exchange.
In fall 2020, after the first round of taxpayer subsidies to airlines ran out, Delta and Southwest didn’t furlough anyone. American and United did. But United didn’t want to furlough pilots. They need to keep flying in order to stay current and it’s costly and time-consuming to run pilots through simulators and get them takeoffs and landings.
United wanted to spread out the limited amount of flying they were doing across their pilots. To get the union to agree to this (yes, it’s an odd world where the company has to give something to the union to avoid furloughs), one of the concessions was that United pilots would have top upgrade priority for available first class seats at the gate.
United got something important in exchange for this concession. They avoided pilot furloughs, which meant they had sufficient pilots to fly their schedule as travel returned. American did not, and suffered mass flight cancellations as a result. That was costly. They also had to scale back their schedule, which mean reduced revenue.
American lacked the foresight to even just copy United. And then they gave the benefit to the pilots anyway, as a me-too in negotiations. United got something in exchange and benefited from the concession, American did not. And now, officially, the airline is being run for pilots ahead of customers – at least along the dimension of first class upgrades at the airport.
As someone who loves to get first class upgrades, I think this pilot benefit is perfectly reasonable. It’s not all pilots in all situations so it probably wont happen all that often.
Flight attendants (safety officers) will be next for this perk.
I was on a united flight recently PHX to IAD. 3 pilots upgraded, upgrade list 20+. Seems odd to get a perk for a job that you signed up for, and take that perk away from someone who pays part of your salary…..
I see nothing wrong with this. If top status customers want to fly in first class, pay up instead of relying on upgrades.
An incredible career opportunity What other job at a public company places you on a pedestal, way ahead of customers and shareholders, all without even requiring the lowliest of college degrees?
Without pilots the planes don’t fly, without passengers the pilots don’t get paid. FLY NAVY!!!
So now at American the customer no longer comes first?
Picard
It is not the end of the world. Pilots have flown first and business class for as long as I can remember. It must not have been official policy until now. All will be well. I doubt that upper, super-dooper, deluxe platinum status folks will be made to sit in economy.
I expect airlines to screw passengers, that’s been their M.O. for years. What I didn’t expect are the reactions of your readers. Wow, I should start a company that doesn’t care about its customers, it seems your readers would love me.
If you PAY for a biz class seat youll still get it! I dont have a problem with this at all.
…a “first world problem,” to say the least.
I don’t have any issue with deadheading pilots being assigned to F class . They are on duty while deadheading . Commuting is a completely different story . The only hiccup would be if pax seated in F are downgraded to accommodate pilots but I don’t think they have that privilege .
I think Gary’s post is less about a “First World Problem” because, let’s face it, all our flying is first world stuff. It’s more about how passengers (and we’re talking here the loyal ones) see their benefits whittled away, one little slice after the next. I’ve been an AAdvantage member since shortly after the program’s inception, and looking back I can only shake my head and want to start crying. Those of you saying “simply pay for that First Class seat if you want to sit in First Class” are right. Except, we were promised certain perks if we flew often enough with a particular airline, which meant spending money with them and not somebody else. But things have gradually shifted and changed, and the airlines are no longer keeping their promises but continually change the rules. My upgrade average as an EP has been reduced from the 90% to 95% range into the low 60s, upper 50s. And that is what is so maddening about the whole thing, this gradual theft by the airlines of what was promised.
I find it arrogant that a pilot feels coach is so uncomfortable that they demand first class over paying customers, many of whom are travelling to work. The union took from the company and now aee taking from passenger who pay to supportthe airline.
We didn’t need more examples of AA top management’s utter ineptitude but they give us one anyway.
American is realizing that the “loyalty“ of frequent flyers, it’s not worth much. The demand of frequent flyers is very inelastic, and they will continue to fly American whether or not they get upgraded. The bluff of switching to a different airline has been called.
If you want a seat in F, buy it. The buy up offers and the price for a domestic F seat are usually reasonable. Expect with status you get an early boarding group (overhead bin space), a free checked bag, and extra points.
The idea of a free seat upgrade has largely dissappear led by airlines monetizing the app buy up offers to fill the front of the plane. A lot of people with status forget that FF programs arent there to reward you, but are a marketing program from the airline to get more money out of you.
I waited onboard in SEA for one hour on the fully loaded plane with Alaska Airlines for 2 pilots deadheading to JFK who were seated in First. I didn’t mind them in First but I minded waiting one hour in an economy middle seat. What’s next on the pilots wish list of perks?
Steven…
With all due respect Sir the “bluff” as you call it can work 2 ways. I present as evidence TWA, Pan Am, Braniff, Frontier, Eastern, Midway, Aloha and a host of other domestic carriers. Internationally I present as evidence SwissAir, Alitalia, Olympic, Sabina, SAS, Jet Airlines and a host of other International carriers.
Picard
@Steven I wasn’t bluffing. I used to be 1K then AA EXP after CO took over UA and now I’m just someone who pays for F with either miles or cash. This past year I have flown first / business on every US airline including AS and B6 I only tend to book F on DL more because I enjoy the sky club at LAX and their schedule is good for LAS. It’s ironic since I used to and still mock DL for their sky pesos.
Pilots fly for work on the companies dime just like you. When we land … we have to usually go straight to the office … just like you. If you were on that pilots next flight and you knew they just deadheaded 3-4 hours … wouldn’t you hope they were kept comfortable ? It’s fair and reasonable 100%. Should be CONFIRMED!
The pilots contribute way more to the airlines than a passenger on a coach ticket hoping to score a F upgrade. Keep the whining up. Every company gives their employees perks unavailable to the general populace. Are you gonna bash walmart for giving their employees discounts? Are you gonna bash amazon for giving employees prime membership?
As long as the pilot does not bump an already upgraded passenger.
Suspect most here don’t appreciate the difference between deadheading, commuting and non-revving.
How many people here are crying over *potentially* losing complimentary upgrades? You didn’t pay for them! You are losing something that you were never guaranteed! God, so many whiners. If you wanted first class, pay for first class!
“I don’t have any issue with deadheading pilots being assigned to F class . They are on duty while deadheading .”
Like many customer seating in Econony. If the seat in Eco is not worthy of pilot butt’s, why should it be of paying customers.
All this points to the need to increased autonomy… right now. he technology is there…we just need to force the FAA to move the needle.
“How many people here are crying over *potentially* losing complimentary upgrades? You didn’t pay for them! You are losing something that you were never guaranteed! God, so many whiners. If you wanted first class, pay for first class!”
You pay for it through the loyalty you have accumulated the year before when you did not expect a higher elite-pilot tier to be created just above yours.
By the way and to add a bit of juicy beetle juice: while you pay to seat in FC either via cash or accumulated loyalty, the pilots will get paid to sit in FC. If a pilot is on duty, he gets paid.
so AA is giving something (which is really not even that much) to their pilots . AA could have just as easily paid them a higher salary. you all sound like a bunch of whiners, including gary . pay to sit up front or go buy a seat on another airline. that’s the free market as you so often like to site.
Do all of you non paying whining “customers” want well rested and safe pilots operating your flight? Your operating crew might have arrived in on a deadhead as well. Pilots should absolutely be comfortable and able to rest on deadheads.
I don’t see the problem. These pilots are travelling for business (travelling from their base to another city to pick up a flight that they will be operating). A lot of people who travel in first class are travelling for business and a lot of them have their seat paid for by their company. No different than an accountant who’s firm paid for their business trip.
This wouldn’t be an issue at all if economy class swats were still comfortable and reasonably sized. They are not. I fly weekly and am EXP. Loyal customers are no longer valued at American.
This wouldn’t be an issue at all if economy class seats were still comfortable and reasonably sized. They are not. I fly weekly and am EXP. Loyal customers are no longer valued at American.
You guys are so silly. I want the pilot flying my plane to be as rested as possible if my life is on their hands. Get a life and Gary stop trying to create drama the way you always do.
Why the continuing Kabuki theater that AA passengers are anything more than a means of milking more subsidies from the taxpayers? AA is all about credit cards, fees including fees to hopefully upgrade out of a 29″ pitch seat, miles shopping programs, high-value freight, and $600+k post-military pilot salaries.
Gary,
You didn’t get the facts straight. AA negotiated to keep their pilots current and trained which enabled them to man the operation when it turned around. They chose, unwisely, to not use that mechanism the Union gave them. That’s on AA.
Dan C.
United got something important in exchange for this concession. They avoided pilot furloughs, which meant they had sufficient pilots to fly their schedule as travel returned. American did not, and suffered mass flight cancellations as a result. That was costly. They also had to scale back their schedule, which mean reduced revenue.
American lacked the foresight to even just copy United.
To be fair, paying customers have always ranked lowest at AA. I despise this airline.
I don’t see the issue. They aren’t kicking paid First Class passengers out of FC, are they? You paid for a coach seat expecting an upgrade … well that’s too bad. You want to fly up front, then pay for it. I’ll gladly watch a pilot get the well deserved comfort they need to fly us safely.
Deadheads happen when you get bad weather that causes crews and planes to not be where they are supposed to be. A friend of mine is an AA pilot. Sometimes, he’s supposed to be in City B overnight, but his flight from City A to be got canceled.
So, he will deadhead on the first departure from A to B the next morning, to the fly a plane from B to C.
This is not the same as when my friend was commuting from Chicago to Miami. AA reduced the amount of 757/767 flying out of O’Hare in 2009, and his seniority forced him to commute. Commuting crew have priority over employees flying for leisure (non-rev), but that’s about it.
But, pilots have the upper hand, when it comes to contracts right now. AA still has a lot of regional jets parked, because its regional carriers lack pilots.
Fed Ex pilots are getting $250K signing bonuses and guaranteed promotions to mainline within 18 months, if they fly with an AA regional carrier.
I think AA is losing 500+ pilots each year for the next 5 to 7 years, because of mandatory retirement. That’s due to the hiring surge in the 1980s after deregulation.
I’m just glad I have the capacity to maintain an overall general lack of respect for the people complaing about “whiny” pilots, just as they don’t respect the pilots who get them to point B safely day in and day out. I’m only a Platinum so I just buy my F or B class seats smuggly knowing I’m keeping the real stitch and bitchers back in coach and not getting that free upgrade.
****Looking at you Minos****
You’re not special.
Pilots traveling to operate a flight should be in FC. This policy is a safety enhancement.
Deadhead to a layover or return to base is a benefit, not a necessity.
The policy does not include a differentiation between these scenarios. Customers are justified in being upset at losing an upgrade to a pilot being moved to a hotel or domicile.
Your life and safety depend on the quality of skill operating the equipment…….the pilot.
I have no problem with making them comfortable. They are top dogs!
My dad was a pilot…..
These pilots are not commuting to work. They ARE on duty. It’s not uncommon for a pilot to deadhead 5+ hours (Miami to Denver, for example), and then commence duty in the flight deck. Proper rest is a real issue with pilot fatigue being a factor in previous accidents. Obviously it’s more restful in a premium cabin. Ask yourself, “do i REALLY want this pilot who’s been squeezed into a middle coach seat with the crying baby next to him piloting MY flight?”. No margin of error in this game. It’s not a perk. It’s common sense.
Maybe AA needs to install a row or 2 more F seats?
The old slogan that the customer always comes first does not apply where unions rule the roost.
Talk about misinformed people!!
As a retired pilot, I think what the pilots got is great. It is NOT for them to commute to/from work. It is for deadheading only!
Deadheading is not a productive activity for pilots. Yes, they get full pay for deadheading However, most would prefer to work the flight. The deadheading is the result of inefficient scheduling. It’s up to the company to minimize that. If they do that, the “problem” goes away.
The vast majority of these gain status on work trips on company’s dime so what’s the difference.
What @JNS said. It will be interesting to see how long before FAs demand the same.
Upgrades are on the fast lane to extinction. I have zero expectation of getting an upgrade so status means very little to me. It’s quite freeing.
All those people saying ‘as long as they dont bump revenue passengers for pilots, you should go back and watch that video of United dragging the doctor out of his seat and off the plane. And then look into why they did that to him
These days virtually all of the major airlines have, in the junior ranks of their seniority lists among the traditional mix of ex-military aviators and longtime civil pilots, folks who took their first flight 5~6 years ago… and then hustled, worked hard for an uncertain future, took personal financial risks (it’s not always the proverbial mommy’s and daddy’s money btw) to succeed in their careers.
Just imagine the road not taken had one made different choices, starting out c2018, instead of choosing a career in envy blogging, lol
It’s laughable that many comments state the deadhead pilot needs to be in first class so that he/she is rested for the next flight. It basically confirms that coach comfort sucks. But what is good for the vast majority of the flying public should also be sufficient for pilots.
It won’t have much impact for me because even as a lifetime platinum I am rarely upgraded and typically number 20 on the upgrade list. I no longer am loyal to any one airline. I go with the most reasonable non stop fare which is not always American. The mileage points one accumulates are not easy to use as the routing on a rewards ticket is often convoluted requiring stops to out of the places.
They’re unsold seats. Passengers are free to purchase them. Dead heading pilots aren’t displacing passengers who bought tickets in first. United does this. Where’s the story?
Or is this just more anti-Unio/anti-pilot rhetoric?
More like “View from the Lav”…
As a pilot for AAL, it’s not exactly what you think. If a status pax pays for the upgrade before “we” check-in 24 hours prior, it’s yours. We can’t bump anybody out of F or B. Yes we are required to DH from time to time. It’s very rare to even see an F or B seat open let alone get the upgrade.
Wow companies that value their employees. What a concept. The way it should be.
As a deadheading pilot. The question to this whole thing is would you rather have a rested pilot in the flight deck or one that is nodding off during his 2nd or 3rd leg hauling passengers. Or would you rather the flight get canceled because your pilot is unfit to fly?
Cat naps are excellent for a boost for a pilot working 3 to 4 leg trips with a deadhead trying to get passengers to their destinations.
The lack of critical thinking skills here is truly amazing. I will attribute this to lots of new millennials on the site and/or hard-core Bolshevik union types.
Loyalty, by definition, is and should be a two-way street when it comes to the world of commerce.
If you ‘punish’ someone for spending lots of money on airline tickets and spending lots of money on affiliated credit cards — by effectively taking away any realistic hope for an occasional upgrade — you kill customer loyalty to the airline.
It’s simple psychology: incentives / rewards create loyalty, punishment destroys it.
If I travel 100K miles a year, buy a mix of economy and first class tickets, and spend $100K on the various American Airline credit cards, you are damn right that I ‘expect’ some upgrades in return.
You get what you paid .. mostly people want to pay coach but get the service… The company is doing something good in a time when there’s not pilots in the market…
The real issue is when they downgrade passengers who really paid full amount
Gary, being “one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel” should probably know and point out that American EP customers will be upgraded (subject to availability) 100 hours before departure, Platinum Pro 72 hours before, Platinum 48 hours before and Gold 24 hours before departure. CK customers even before any of these. All before the window opens for any pilot to potentially be assigned a premium cabin seat. The CK, EP etc customer that buys a ticket inside of 24 hours of departure time is probably not expecting an upgrade on top of the purchase. So really the only thing that changed is last minute long shots.
Space Available upgrades are just that. If you want a Space Positive seat in F or B, it is open to anybody for purchase as long as there are open seats.
If you want an upgraded seat, BUY IT. The pilots essentially did. All contracts are give and take.
Customers aren’t the only ones companies need to seek loyalty from… Pilots can and do switch airlines for better contracts.
@Pilot and Executive Platinum customer – upgrades START during those timeframes but are not usually processed for most at those times, this is not limited to customers who buy last minute tickets being affected. When I was a ConciergeKey I was often upgraded at the gate only on tickets bought a month out, if upgraded at all.
The guy who complained about lack of critical thinking skills here truly lacks critical thinking skills. Pilots are in high demand and there’s a short supply, this gives them the power to extract concessions out of their employers because training a replacement is insanely expensive. Supply and demand, that’s free market for you, the very definition of capitalism. Want to make furloughs freely and have a customer-only focused airline? You can have that! Have fun operating without pilots.
Most ..not all .. in 1st & business class are companies people work for to allow them to be put up front ! The pilot’s deserve to be there especially the hours they put in to get you to your destination safely “ I prefer a rested pilot then one who’s so tired he can’t think straight! As a former Flight Attendant I’ve seen 1st hand they need rest ! I’m Sorry But I rather land safe then in a crash all to have a few hours of comfort & not so great food .
To the people who say they want a rested pilot…..you are saying economy is not worthy of rest, AA should change that. For thoses saying pay for it, since you have so mu h money, pay for my rent as well….not everyone can pony up the money they ask for every week. The airline put a program out that gained passengers. They are changing that at the demand of the pilots. The pilots are very intentionally putting themselves over customers. If saftey is really an issue, they should not fly as there is no commitment a seat will be available or that some magic happens in first to prepare them to fly. If you are fine with losing benefits, renounce you status.
@Denis
What we have here is a failure to communicate…and it’s 100% on you.
There is this thing called capitalism (you can Google it). Fewer passengers = less revenue. Fewer upgrades diminishes loyalty, which means you are more apt to lose your best customers (who travel more, spend more on rev tickets and spend more on affiliated credit cards).
By your logic — hell, let’s put ALL American Airlines employees in first class! Flight attendants are critical personnel. If they need to reposition from location A to location B, why shouldn’t they get first class seats? Same thing for airline mechanics. And don’t forget ramp workers. Labor supply is tight, baby!
I think you seem to forget, Dennis, that a business which puts customers last will pay a very high price. It’s simple economics and basic common sense. Capiche?
People have choices… and pilots need their jobs… so when people people perceive themselves as second class passengers, they may pick another airline where they feel more welcome and appreciated.
I work 22 years in the airline business and I saw big airlines going out of business…
If you want to be able to fly first class that badly doesn’t the airline offer an option where you pay to fly first class otherwise you fly in the class you pay for?
I don’t have an issue with this actually.
A Pilot is critical to a successful flight.
Be they resting for another shift or recharging batteries.
Here is your open comfortable seat sir.
Thank you for your service !
Go fly spirit and frontier. We will see you back shortly after
Is it a hatred towards pilots or a jealousy that you never became one?
I’d much rather have a well rested Pilot than one that’s sitting in a middle coach seat for 4 hours then getting off that plane to fly another.
You want a seat up front buy it, if not be grateful if you get a free bump up.
Oh no! A company that values one of their workgroups over entitled frequent flier parasites who refuse to pay for their own premium seats
We’re talking one or two seats taken per flight. People act like half of first or business will be full of pilots who took someone’s upgrade seat.
@Debra Bohachevsky: We are talking far, far less than that. Deadheading is rare. Airlines don’t want to pay pilots to fly in a passenger seat.
Just as load management is dramatically better than in the past, so is crew scheduling.
The normal deadhead occurs in the case of cancellations due to weather when aircraft and crew are split up. Doesn’t happen regularly.
Pay for an upgrade if you want it. The airlines are giving you a COURTESY of an upgrade if you are one of the higher flying members. You are not entitled to anything. Also keep in mind that the three big airlines (American, United and Delta) all recently revised their loyalty programs making it more difficult to achieve a higher status. In order to get an upgrade you essentially have to have the highest tier and if you are second tier from the top you get upgraded one out of every 5 or 6 flights. I flew on Delta for five years straight about 25 legs of varying lengths from ATL-ORD to SEA-ICN and never got diamond. Best I could do is platinum which is second from the top. My company paid for first/business on all international legs and flights over 3.5 hours. All that matters on the short one for me is an aisle seat. The longer ones I simply won’t go if they don’t give me something comfortable. I am not going to a meeting in another city when I can just remote phone in from the office/home and be comfortable. It is simply the cost of doing business. Come out of pocket or be quiet.
David — you once again have clearly missed the point. Let’s review this again. Please pay attention.
Fewer upgrades diminish loyalty, which means you are more apt to lose your best customers (who travel more, spend more on rev tickets and spend more on affiliated credit cards).
When upgrades essentially vanish, people will stop patronizing an airline and begin choosing flights (from multiple carriers) based on time, stops, price, etc. That domino effect has a direct impact on the bottom line of the loyalty program / airline you used to use almost exclusively.
It’s basic economics. And, no, contrary to your statement — it is not entitlement or privilege to expect an airline to reward its best customers with semi-frequent upgrades.
I am approaching this solely from the vantage point of an EP. I dont care to trade in the convo or whether pilots deserve the upgrade or not. My view is this change cements the diminishing value of EP with respect to upgrades (which I think most EP would value at 50% or higher of the benefit). I have traveled recently when American showed 4-6 seats in first class at the 100 hour window. Upgrades were not processed at 100 hours or even at gate and often saw a pilot (sometime 2) in first class in the last 2 months – I am roughly a low to mid-tier EP with ~300k loyalty points. . I understand the ranking system, etc and how upgrades are processed and realize that the pre-flight purchased upgrade is the way of the future. So on March 1st, I would simply remind people to maybe not shoot for the stars with respect to being an EP if upgrades are your thing.