Tag Archives for american airlines.
On Thursday the ‘association’ of two unions representing mechanics and fleet service workers announced that the contract was ratified. And the deal was overwhelmingly ratified, because their members aren’t morons. Going back tot he bargaining table now would mean a deal close to what they received was off the table. Signing bonuses? Now? Are you crazy?
American already closed 23 airport lounges including all Flagship lounges and many Admirals Clubs. The airline has been consolidating operations at airports to handle fewer flights, so major hubs still have at least one club.
That will no longer be the case come Thursday.
With load factors in the 20s, it makes sense for passengers to spread out and social distance from each other on the plan. And where possible it makes sense to limit interaction between flight attendants and passengers right now, too.
Changes to American Airlines food and beverage service go into effect this Friday, March 27. They aren’t offering anything for sale in coach, to limit credit card swipes. They won’t service meals in first class except on routes long enough where they figure they have to. And there’s more to it than that.
A group that says it represents 325 employees at American Airlines ‘Skyview’ campus headquarters near the Dallas Fort Worth airport say their airline has been hostile to the idea as well, and are petitioning for jobs that can be done remotely to be permitted to do so, following the advice and request of local governments.
With fewer flights, American Airlines is consolidating operations at its hubs in order to use fewer contractors. These contractors won’t get help if the airlines get a bailout. And with record telephone wait time, the airline continues layoffs of home-based reservations agents, who won’t get their jobs back with a bailout.
Many employees are scared for their jobs, interacting with customers in close quarters, and fearful to defy their bosses even as flight attendants report positive with COVID-19.
They say that they can convince airlines to unlock frequent flyer accounts that have been audited for breaking the rules, and they want the owners of those accounts to break the rules again by bartering half the miles they get back. That won’t end well.
United and Delta are both allowing flight attendants to wear masks. Now American has reversed its policy. Flight attendants now have the option of wearing masks, and will not be disciplined for doing so.
American Airlines won’t allow flight attendants to wear masks. They also still give ‘points’ which count towards discipline and termination for a flight attendant who calls out sick unless they’ve actually tested positive for coronavirus.
Flight attendants with mild symptoms who haven’t flown internationally still report being ineligible for testing. And calling out sick when you aren’t is a firing offense.
A voicemail is making the rounds from this past Tuesday when a flight service manager called out a flight attendant for wearing a mask on a trip, and suggested they just ‘use sick time’.
The usually very reliable JonNYC, who has a lot of inside sources at major airlines but especially at American Airlines, relays a rumor that American may announce a complete shutdown for a period of 2-3 weeks.
American Airlines can’t really front-run their bailout requests with layoffs now. And since it’s in American’s interest not to shut down completely pending a government bailout, I’ve assumed the rumors are false.
Gerard Arpey led American Airlines for 9 years up until the carrier’s bankruptcy. However he lost the trust of employees half way through his tenure. That’s odd, in a way, because by insisting on pulling every lever possible to forestall bankruptcy the airline underperformed the industry financially for years, while delaying changes to employee contracts that would eventually come through Chapter 11.
The biggest area of controversy with employees was Arpey’s (and management) pay. Another piece of irony is that his pay was mostly in stock, the bulk of which he held to the end losing much of its value when the airline finally did enter bankruptcy.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
