APA News Digest

Sept. 6, 2024

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In This Edition ...

We Will Never Forget

This is a new message from APA President CA Ed Sicher.

APA Pilots,

APA Vice President CA Chris Torres and LGA Domicile Chair CA Lawrence Cutler will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony at 1100 Eastern on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. The APA delegation will be joined by representatives of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. After the ceremony, APA will host a gathering at nearby O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub at 120 Cedar Street for pilots, flight attendants, and first responders. The gathering at O’Hara’s is open to all APA members.

APA will also participate in Wednesday’s ceremony at the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial in Grapevine, Texas, which is scheduled to begin at 0740 Central. DFW-based FO Mitch Hanson, who is also a Major General in the United States Air Force, will speak on APA’s behalf. This ceremony is open to all who wish to attend.

I am currently in 777 upgrade training and will not be present in New York or Grapevine, but rest assured the events of Sept. 11, 2001, are never far from my thoughts. I still remember the horror of being on a layover in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and waking up to watch our own jets crash into the towers in Manhatten. We will never forget what happened 23 years ago when pilots, flight attendants, and thousands of other innocent people were brutally murdered and hundreds of first responders paid with their lives. Our world changed on that terrible day, and your APA leadership remains dedicated to doing all we can to prevent a recurrence.

A few other ceremonies of note:

  • Sandy, Utah: Pilots and their families are invited to help place more than 3,000 American flags in the Sandy Healing Field at 1700 Mountain on Monday.
  • Shanksville, Pa.: The Flight 93 National Memorial will host a public ceremony on Wednesday that will be streamed on YouTube.
  • Boston: The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund will host public ceremonies at the Massachusetts State House and the Boston Public Garden on Wednesday.
  • Yardley, Pa.: The Garden of Reflection 9/11 Memorial in suburban Philadelphia will host a public ceremony at 0830 Eastern on Wednesday.

These friends and colleagues and the thousands of other innocent people who died that day live in our hearts forever:

American Airlines Flight 11
Pilots: Captain John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness
Flight attendants: Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean Roger, Dianne Snyder, and Madeline Sweeney

United Airlines Flight 175
Pilots: Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks
Flight attendants: Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn LaBorie, Alfred Marchand, Jesus Sanchez, Michael Tarrou, and Alicia Titus
Customer service representative: Marianne MacFarlane

American Airlines Flight 77
Pilots: Captain Charles Burlingame and First Officer David Charlebois
Retired pilot: Captain Bud Flagg
Flight attendants: Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, and Renee May
Executive assistant: Mary Jane Booth

United Airlines Flight 93
Pilots: Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer
Flight attendants: Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, and Deborah Welsh

In Sorrow and Unity,

CA Ed Sicher
APA President

Will Profits Continue to Head South?

This week, Forbes published an article called “American Airlines Rules Sunbelt from Charlotte and Dallas, World’s Largest Hub.” The article includes commentary from APA spokesman CA Dennis Tajer, who said American faces the danger of becoming a “super regional” carrier that lacks strength outside the Sunbelt.

“American’s network plan is to focus on a southern domestic route structure,” he said. “We just have to make sure that the profits don’t continue to head south.”

Speaking of American’s network plan, you may want to also read “The Vasu Raja Interview” that The Airline Observer published this week.

Please Join Us for YOUnion 101

This is a repeated message from the APA Compass Project Committee. 

APA Vice President CA Chris Torres and the Compass Project’s Member Engagement Team will host a “YOUnion 101” meeting via Zoom at 1100 Central on Wednesday, Sept. 11. This meeting focuses on all aspects of APA membership. While it is geared toward our newer pilots, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Click here to register for the Sept. 11 meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The APA Compass Project is an industry-leading pilot mentoring and support program. Compass offers one-on-one support from experienced line-pilot sponsors, as well as tutorial videos and an extensive database of stage-based documents covering a number of helpful topics that are beneficial to all pilots.

Hotel/Limo Options in ECS

This is a new message from the APA Hotel Committee.

With the rollout of the Electronic Communication System (ECS), pilots have multiple options to reach the Hotel/Limo Desk. By pressing the blue “Contact AA” button and selecting the “Hotel/Limo” option at the bottom of the menu, you can send the Hotel/Limo Desk notification of a problem such as no assigned hotel and/or limo. You also can inform them that your transportation is late.

If you would like to speak with a Hotel/Limo agent about a more complicated issue, there is a feature that puts you in the queue for a call back, versus having to wait on hold. Most options will ask for flight number, station, and how many people on your crew require assistance. Only one member from the crew needs to complete the request. We do not recommend you or members of your crew make an ECS request and call the desk simultaneously. You will receive an acknowledgement message and a message that the action is complete in the “All Messages” function of the ECS app. If you have requested a call back, it will come from the AA VIP Crew Line, which is the same phone number that Crew Scheduling and Crew Tracking use when they call pilots.

If you have any issues related to ECS and the Hotel/Limo Desk, please submit a Hotel Debrief so we can address with the company.

For more information, check out the recently updated QRH – Quick Reference Hotels document. This resource answers 99 percent of all hotel, transportation, and layover questions while providing helpful solutions. Suggestion: Download this QRH document to your AA iPad for easy access in the future.

MyOT Being Replaced by MyOT Beta

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

As of Sept. 27, the original MyOT will be decommissioned and replaced with the new MyOT Beta service currently available in the APA Pilot app. For MyOT Beta setup instructions and FAQs, please visit the Latest Releases section of our committee’s webpage.

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.

  • Since July 24, the left engine ignition on B737 aircraft 3SC has been on MEL four times for a total of 31 days. It has been out of service twice. It was most recently signed off on Sept. 4 and is restricted to Class 1 and 2 maintenance stations.
  • In the last 28 days, the GPS (global positioning system) on B737 aircraft 3JG has been written up seven times, been on MEL five times for a total of 23 days, and been out of service five times. It was most recently signed off on Sept. 5 and is restricted to Class 1 and 2 maintenance stations.

APA Welcomes Leadership Class

This is a new message from the APA Membership Committee.

Click the image for a closer look.

On Sept. 4, 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: Mark Branstrom, Oliver Da Silva Martins, Christopher Davidson, Bryan Henry, Christopher Humphries, Stanley Kendra, Steven Kneussle, David Leedom, Ian McVeigh, Charles Schaefer IV, and Joseph Toth.

APA Medical Minute – Cardiac Calcium Score Update

In the latest edition of the APA Medical Minute, APA Medical Advisor Kathy Parr discusses a revision to the FAA’s policy regarding cardiac calcium scores.

You can watch previous Medical Minute videos on APA’s YouTube channel.

Domicile Events

LGA pilots and guests gathered at Citi Field on Labor Day to build unity while enjoying a Mets game. You can see more photos on APA’s Facebook page.

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.

The Election Round voting period will open on Sept. 9, with the following candidates listed on the ballots:

CLT Chair
CA Heather Ducimo Boulanger
CA Erik DeWinne
CA Casey Granger

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

LGA Chair
CA Jeff Kerr
CA Mark Lokey

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

MIA Chair
CA Thomas Copeland
CA Andrew Weingram
CA Jay Wilhelm

MIA Vice Chair
FO James “Jamie” Funderburk
CA Anne Witcher

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

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

Is Professional Standards a step in the traditional discipline process (Section 21)?
No. The Professional Standards program is an APA volunteer committee that does not involve discipline. A call to domicile Professional Standards volunteers should be considered as the first step: First call? Union first! Resolved issues submitted to the Professional Standards Committee cannot be used by management to support other disciplinary actions at any time in the future. The objective is to facilitate a change at the lowest possible level to prevent the need for a traditional discipline approach.

To read all of the FAQs, click here.

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

Supporting Our Nation’s Veterans

100 Vets Who Give a Damn supports veterans by donating to numerous organizations. The group’s  next meeting is scheduled for 1800 Central on Sept. 19 at the C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth.

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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