Pilots File Labor Grievance against American Airlines

The union representing pilots from American Airlines filed a labor grievance against the airline, accusing American of overworking its pilots and violating the company’s own fatigue management policy.

According to the letter sent by Allied Pilots Association president Capt. Dan Carey, American has placed its pilots and passengers at risk by failing to comply with safe flight procedures and continuing to place fatigued pilots in the cockpit.

In the grievance letter, Carey wrote: “These violations are ongoing, relate directly to safety and pose a risk of massive, imminent, and irreparable harm and/or death of employees, passengers, and on-the-ground personnel.”

Carey also said in the letter that pilots who are too fatigued to fly and refuse to fly have been threatened by the airline and have been given missed assignments.

This isn’t the first controversy surrounding American and their unsafe flight operations. In a letter released by the APA and Carey in July 2016, the airline allegedly manipulated flight plans and pressured pilots to rush certain procedures in order to keep up with demand. These allegations came just a couple months after the airline came dead last in delays and cancellations among major domestic carriers.

Coincidentally (or not), just a few days after the latest grievance was filed, American finished second among the four largest domestic carriers in on-time arrival for the second straight month, behind only Delta Air Lines.