Tag Archives for pilot.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom’s caveat that updating the contract could come quickly – or it might not – was clearly intentional. It won’t be a matter of just substituting in new, higher pay rates. This suggests they’re going to be negotiating and re-negotiating other language in the deal as well.
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted down an amendment to FAA Reauthorization that would have “require[d] airlines to reinstate pilots who were fired or forced to resign because of vaccine mandates.” Republicans generally favored the amendment, but not overwhelmingly, while all but one voting Democrat opposed it.
Everyone acknowledges what JSX does is legal from the DOT and FAA who allow it to even ALPA. ALPA argues they take advantage of a ‘loophole’ by using aircraft with no more than 30 seats, never ‘intended’ to support an operation that gives passengers the similar access to convenient terminals as private air travel offers to the wealthy. And One Mile at a Time is sympathetic. He acknowledges that JSX is safe, and the rules ALPA wants to impose are non-sensical, yet wishes “to be balanced.”
An already-boarded Delta Air Lines flight from Edinburgh, Scotland to New York JFK was cancelled on Friday when the 61 year old captain was arrested on charges stemming from intoxication either with alcohol or drugs.
A Southwest Airlines pilot of a Boeing 737 bound for Sacramento got locked out of the cockpit prior to departure on Thursday – and had to climb back in through the window – after a passenger shut the door.
Thanks to the reinforced cockpit door, it was the quickest way in. A customer had boarded the plane and, needing to use the restroom, closed the door to the cockpit in order to access the aircraft’s lavatory. The hijinks caused an 8 minute delay.
The captain of an American Airlines flight comes out into the cabin – into economy, no less – to talk to passengers about their flight delay. He explains what happened, that the aircraft had arrived late from Puerto Vallarta, and he offered that they planned to make up a few minutes in the air if they could. He even offered to take passenger questions. But talking to passengers in person isn’t all that the captain did.
The pilot union has taken a strike authorization vote, but isn’t legally permitted to strike because they haven’t received federal permission to do so (and that would only come after a 30 day ‘cooling off period’). Pilots are getting frustrated over the time it is taking to get to a contract, though the airline has publicly committed to substantial raises.
Some pilots do not want to wait, and are suggesting taking matters into their own hands. The mistake they’re making, though, is putting this in writing – and the union, therefore, has taken steps to disavow it.
Why are they even training for a middle of the night interrogation inside a hotel with guests sleeping?
While 110 million Americans haven’t even played Microsoft’s flight simulator, apparently one third of Americans think they could take the controls of an aircraft and land it if they had to. For males the number is 50%.
A United Airlines pilot, hired in April 2022, was terminated after less than two months at the carrier “because he struggle[s] to discern different colors while flying at night.” The pilot is suing.
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 »
