American Airlines says it won't furlough more pilots
10:59 PM CDT
on Friday, September 12, 2008

By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
tmaxon@dallasnews.com

It looks like American Airlines Inc. pilots will escape the massive layoffs sweeping through the airline this year.

American had warned the Allied Pilots Association in July that it expected to furlough 200 pilots in October as part of plans to cut flying capacity 7 to 8 percent before the end of the year.

But in a message to pilots, vice president of flight Mark Hettermann said the number of pilots on board is dropping because of the airline's decision to stop recalling pilots in June, as well as early retirements, military and personal leaves and pilots going through retraining as American grounds its aging McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and Airbus A300s.

Those factors have "left us very close to the pilot staffing needed to fly our projected 2009 summer schedule," Mr. Hettermann told pilots.

American spokeswoman Tami McLallen called the decision "very good news, and it underscores the importance of improving our operation's flexibility so that we can react quickly in the current volatile market."

Union's hopes
APA spokesman Karl Schricker said union officials "hope this is a signal that AA will resume recalling our furloughees and begin to man the airline rationally."

The union represents about 9,000 active pilots, with nearly 2,000 more pilots currently on furlough.

Agreement lacking
One reason American may have decided to avoid furloughs is that it had not worked out an agreement with the union for voluntary early departures, as it had with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Transport Workers Union.

After American proposed incentives to get senior pilots to retire earlier, the union responded with a proposal to limit the hours that pilots would fly each month as a way to keep more pilots on the payroll, as well as the retirement incentives.

The carrier has targeted a cut of 6,500 to 7,000 positions throughout the company as it shrinks to fit its new flying schedule.

The reductions are still going on in most work groups, although American imposed the cuts on flight attendants at the end of August.

Most U.S. carriers have halted growth or announced plans to shrink in the second half of 2008, a reaction to a historic rise in jet fuel prices.

While fuel costs are going down as crude oil retreats to around $100 a barrel, airlines are going through with the capacity reductions.

Alaska Air Group Inc. announced Friday that it plans to shrink the available seat miles it operates by 8 percent in 2009, including a 15 percent reduction in flights, and will be eliminating 850 to 1,000 jobs.

It also said it plans job cuts and a 10 percent capacity cut at its Horizon Air subsidiary.