APA News Digest

Aug. 23, 2024

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In This Edition ...

Training on RAS and ECS

This is an updated version of a message the APA Joint Implementation Action Committee sent to all members on Tuesday.

The Joint Implementation Action Committee will host training sessions for the new Reserve Assignment System (RAS) and Electronic Communication System (ECS) via Zoom next week. These sessions will provide a detailed summary of each of these new systems, with questions taken live as able through the Zoom Q&A function. If you would like to submit a RAS or ECS question to be included in the FAQ portions of the presentations, please send the question to townhall@alliedpilots.org.

If your schedule permits, we strongly encourage you to make plans to join us for these training sessions. Because these training sessions will be visually oriented and include live demonstrations, we also encourage you to connect via a device with a screen that’s large enough for viewing a PowerPoint presentation and “drive-through” demonstrations of each system.

For those unable to participate live, recordings will be uploaded to AlliedPilots.org/Videos.

RAS and ECS to be Implemented on Aug. 31

This is a new message from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

The CBA’s Reserve Assignment System (RAS) and Electronic Communication System (ECS) will be implemented on Aug. 31. At launch, exactly two types of required messages will utilize ECS: Reassignments and RAS Awards and Assignments. While on duty, or upon the commencement of duty, pilots are responsible for these two types of ECS messages. During the On Duty pilot state, these messages will always be forwarded to your iPad via the ECS application. Many other forwarding options are also available. For additional information, please join the ECS training session scheduled for 1800 Central on Aug. 28 and review the ECS Implementation Communications on AA Pilots.

Until full implementation of CBA Section 4.C – Recovery Obligation (RO), RO notifications will continue under Current Process. A phone call to a pilot’s listed H number is the contractual method of notification for RO.

APA Contract Minute – Deadhead Pay

This is a new message from the APA Contract Compliance Committee.

CA Jason Saxer is back with a new APA Contract Minute. In this edition, he discusses Section 19.D, which governs pay for pilots deadheading on AA mainline flights as well as AA regional flights.

Coming Soon to APA Pilot – Trips Marketplace

This is a new message from the APA Information Technology Steering Committee.

Trips Marketplace is the next major release in APA’s app lineup. It has been designed to streamline the pilot-to-pilot (P2P) trip-trading process while automating cumbersome FOS commands, making it easier for pilots to post and drop sequences to fellow pilots outside of TTS. APA IT is tentatively looking to make these features available as a beta version to all pilots next week.

Pilots will be able to open their schedule in the Trips Marketplace through the APA Pilot app and quickly perform the following:

  • Post or un-post sequences.
  • Browse posted sequences.
  • Conveniently text or call the pilot who posted a sequence.
  • Ask a pilot to drop a sequence directly to you.
  • Receive inbox alerts for requests and completed sequence drops to other pilots.
  • Motivator entries.

Note: Due to the inability to execute commands in FOS on a pilot’s behalf, the actual execution of dropping a sequence to another pilot must be executed in the app by the pilot who owns the posted sequence. Trips Marketplace streamlines the command to a one-button press and returns the FOS response.

Successive updates over the next few weeks will include Shared Sequence, Last Live Leg, and Loaning Sequences Support. But first, the next feature to be released will be Shared Sequence Support, which includes:

  • Advertise portions of a sequence you wish to share with other pilots.
  • Quickly choose the portion of a sequence you wish to share.
  • Select the pay and credit and, if applicable, the holiday pay if you want to keep it or share it.

Finally, your continued feedback is desired. The IT Steering Committee has heard your requests for a more compact Trips sequence display, and this feature is in development. Please submit your ideas and suggestions via the Feedback option in the APA Pilot main menu. This email will go to the entire IT development and pilot volunteer team.

These updates are brought to you jointly by the APA IT Department and the IT Steering, Scheduling, and Operational Analysis committees.

Overage Hotels for September

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

In the Aug. 9 edition of the APA News Digest, we discussed reasons why you might be placed at a non-contracted hotel. One of those reasons would be an overage situation in a particular market. For your situational awareness, we are going to start publishing the list of overages for the next month after the company provides the list to us.

Below is the list of overage hotels that will be utilized in September. If you are scheduled to stay at one of these properties, we recommend you review the Aug. 9 article.

  • BUF: Embassy Suites
  • CID: Avid
  • CLE: Crowne Plaza
  • DCA: Embassy Suites by Hilton
  • DTW: Detroit Marriott Livonia and DoubleTree Suites Fort Shelby
  • GRB: Oneida
  • GRU: Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC Hotel
  • LAF: Springhill Suites Lafayette
  • LBB: Overton
  • LIR: El Mangroove
  • MGM: Trilogy
  • OMA: Doubletree Omaha Downtown
  • PIB: Hilton Garden Inn Hattiesburg
  • PVD: Hilton Providence Downtown
  • RDU: Durham Marriott City Center
  • SAN: Wyndham San Diego Bayside and Intercontinental San Diego
  • SAV: Hilton Garden Inn Historic District
  • TCL: Hotel Indigo Tuscaloosa Downtown
  • UVF: Marigot Bay
  • XNA: Wingate, Hyatt Place, and Hilton Garden Inn

FDJ AA Not Appended After Check-in

This is a new message from the APA Jumpseat/Non-Rev Committee.

For FDJ travelers who are checked in, but FDJ AA indicator is not present on the Priority List:

  • Ticket counter/gate agents are not authorized to manually append FDJ AA.
  • Request the agent to contact AA System Support Center (SSC) so the FDJ indicator can be added.
  • SSC is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their numbers are 800-741-0329 (inside the U.S.) and 480-693-6470 (abroad). In general, these numbers are for agent use, but a pilot could call if in need of assistance.
  • Please send us a Jumpseat/Deadhead/Non-Rev Debrief if FDJ AA is not appended upon check-in. Be sure to include the method of check-in or device used (e.g., Android/iPad/agent).

LIT is Coming to CLT

This is a new message from the APA Safety Committee.

Line pilot members of the AA/APA Learning and Improvement Team (LIT) will be at CLT on Aug. 26 and 27 to discuss how you, the line pilot, keep operations safe at CLT. LIT will be speaking with pilots transiting CLT on those days, asking safety-themed questions about CLT operations.

LIT navigators will be in uniform with APA Safety lanyards in the A, B, C, and D concourses, C concourse crew room, main food court, and exit of KCM.

Any pilot interaction with LIT is voluntary and de-identified. Your reply to a few questions helps AA and APA Safety better understand operational pressures and challenges AA pilots face within the system.

Thank you for your participation, and we look forward to engaging with you.

Pigs of the Week

APA commends American Airlines’ hardworking aircraft maintenance technicians for their outstanding work. We believe they are the best in the business. When repetitive problems do arise, they’re often due to managerial decisions that fail to properly prioritize tasks and to management’s decision to outsource a significant portion of the airline’s maintenance to offshore, third-party repair stations.

  • In the last 10 days, the cabin pressurization on B737 aircraft 3FL has been written up five times, has been on MEL once, and has been out of service four times. It was most recently signed off on Aug. 22 and is restricted to Class 1 or 2 maintenance stations.
  • In the last three weeks, A321 aircraft 975 has been written up nine times and been out of service six times for NLG (nose landing gear) vibration/shimmy. It was recently operated under a special flight permit to a maintenance base for repairs. It was most recently signed off on Aug. 22 and is restricted to AA maintenance stations.

APA Welcomes Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

On Aug. 21, the APA Membership Committee hosted a casual dinner for the following pilots who were in Fort Worth for American Airlines’ Professionalism, Leadership, and Mentoring class: Ernesto Cintado, Joseph Elredy, Todd Fieser, Kyle Flynn, Kirby Gonyer, Benjamin Louden, Jeffrey Mathemeier, Gregory Moore, Jonathon Norman, Paul Peterson, Rochell Roache-Lanza, Kyle Salem-Roy, and Benjamin Wright.

Hundreds of Pilots Enroll in APA Benefits Plans

Aug. 1-15 was a special open enrollment period for two of APA’s benefits plans, Pilot Mutual Aid (PMA) and the Supplemental Medical Plan (SMP). Normally, enrollment in PMA is restricted to pilots with fewer than five years of service, and enrollment is SMP is restricted to pilots who are not yet 55 years old. But last April, the APA Board of Directors approved a pair of resolutions that temporarily waived those restrictions, which made the special open enrollment period possible.

Here’s a look at how many pilots signed up for each plan during the special open enrollment period:

PMA
440 pilots with at least five years of service
545 pilots with fewer than five years of service
91 pilots who were already enrolled and adjusted their benefit levels

SMP
235 pilots who are at least 55 years old
185 pilots who are not yet 55 years old

The APA Benefits Department fielded more than 5,000 phone calls during the special open enrollment period, which equates to about 455 calls per workday.

For more information about APA’s benefits plans, review these videos featuring Director of Benefits Marcy Scott.

APA Represented at OBAP Conference

APA members CA Shanita Polk, FO Dominique Leonard-Curry, and CA Joshua Smith were among the attendees at the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals’ annual conference in Memphis this week. APA’s booth at the conference was part of our continuing effort to reach current and future members during similar conferences hosted by the Latino Pilots Association, the National Gay Pilots Association, the Professional Asian Pilots Association, and Women in Aviation International.

APA Medical Minute – Type 2 Diabetes

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Christopher Ryan addresses type 2 diabetes, including its diagnosis, medication, and the diabetes status report that must be submitted to the FAA.

CLT Parking Lot Crimes Highlighted in TV Interview

One our CLT-based members recently returned from a trip to find that his car’s wheels had been stolen. This was the latest in a string of thefts from the employee parking lot.

“In aviation, safety is always the first priority,” CLT Domicile Vice Chair CA Erik DeWinne told WSOC-TV this week. “If we get you there on time, that’s great; that’s an added bonus. And frankly, the City of Charlotte and the airport are not putting safety first.”

Click here to watch the full report.

Domicile Events

About 450 pilots and guests gathered at the Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte last Saturday.

Visit AlliedPilots.org/Calendar to RSVP for any of these upcoming domicile events:

Domicile Elections

Pilots based at CLT, LGA, and MIA will elect a Chair and Vice Chair to represent each domicile for three-year terms that will begin on Nov. 1.

When there are four or more candidates for a domicile position, the APA Constitution and Bylaws calls for a Nomination Round that winnows the field to three. The Nomination Round voting period opened at 0000 Central on Aug. 7, and it will close at 0001 Central on Aug. 29. The deadline for receipt of mailed paper ballots is 1000 Central on Aug. 29.

These candidates are listed on the Nomination Round ballots:

CLT Vice Chair
CA Casey Granger
FO Hickory Ham
CA Michael Pfeifer
FO Tammy Smart

LGA Vice Chair
CA David Hines
CA Michael Phelan
CA Sam Pool
CA James Scanlan

MIA Vice Chair
CA Scott Craig
FO James Funderburk
FO Steven Mann
CA Ken Wells
CA Anne Witcher

For more information, visit the Elections page on AlliedPilots.org.

Website Maintenance Scheduled for Aug. 27

The APA IT Department will perform maintenance on AlliedPilots.org from 0600 to 0900 Central on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Please anticipate a full outage from 0600 to 0700 and intermittent service interruptions thereafter until 0900.

Week in Review

Here are some recent messages you may have missed.

Are You Willing to Serve?

Each of these national committees or subcommittees has the indicated number of vacancies:

  • Aeromedical Committee (0)
    • Disabled Pilot Awareness Subcommittee (3)
    • Human Intervention Motivation Study Subcommittee (1)
    • Pilot Occupational Health Subcommittee (2)
    • Project Wingman Subcommittee (3)
  • Captain’s Authority Committee (2)
  • Communications Committee (0)
    • National Communications Network (2)
  • Economic and Financial Analysis Committee (1)
  • Grey Eagles Liaison Committee (1)
  • Professional Standards Committee (1)
  • Scheduling Committee (6)
  • Training Committee (4)
    • Checkmate (1 on 777)

If you would like to serve on one or more of these committees, visit the Member Engagement Portal.

Professional Standards FAQs

When I make a call, am I “turning someone in” to Professional Standards?
No! When you call Professional Standards, you are utilizing fellow pilots, who are trained in handling peer-to-peer conflict, to resolve an issue that you are not comfortable resolving yourself. One of the first questions a volunteer will ask you is: “Have you tried to resolve this issue yourself?” While resolving the issue between the two parties is truly resolution at the lowest possible level, many people are not comfortable with this scenario and utilize Professional Standards.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

Professional Standards’ 24/7 hotline: 817-402-2181

If You’re 50, Join The Grey Eagles

Are you a pilot for American Airlines, at least age 50, active or retired? Please join The Grey Eagles for food, fun, and fellowship. We offer cruises, conventions, monthly luncheons, retirement dinners, professional mentoring, and assistance to surviving spouses – all for a one-time lifetime fee.

Pilot Job Fairs and Future Pilot Seminars

Future & Active Pilot Advisors’ next Pilot Job Fair and Future Pilot Seminar are scheduled for Sept. 20 at TPA followed by Oct. 25 at DAL. Click here for more information.

Industry News

For more about what’s happening in the industry, be sure to visit the Industry News page on AlliedPilots.org.

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