The union, which represents about 15,000 pilots, implored its members to avoid rushing while doing their jobs and to not be pressured into doing anything unsafe.
Shares of the carrier fell 1.3% at 1:25 p.m. in New York trading.
The union message underscores the heightened scrutiny on airline safety following a January incident in which a panel blew off the side of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight.
United Airlines Holdings Inc., in particular, has garnered unwanted attention over a series of headline-grabbing mishaps, including a wheel falling from a plane after takeoff and an aircraft skidding off an airport runway.
“While United Airlines is currently under public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines,” the APA said in its memo.
“We fully intend to do everything we can to assure that American maintains strong margins of safety.”
(Updates with American Air meeting in sixth paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
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In a memo dated April 13, the Allied Pilots Association listed “problematic trends,” such as an increase in the number of aircraft collisions that occur while they are being towed and incidents where tools like hammers are left in wheel wells. The union, which advocates for approximately 15,000 pilots, pleaded with its members not to rush through their work or give in to peer pressure to take risks.
American refrained from commenting right away. At 1:25 p.m., carrier shares dropped 1.3%. m. within trading in New York. Up until April 12, the stock had dropped 4.3 percent this year.
In the wake of an incident in January where a panel blew off the side of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight, the union message highlights the increased scrutiny placed on airline safety. Airlines Holdings, United Airlines Inc. in particular has drawn unwelcome attention due to a string of events that make headlines, such as an airplane wheel falling off after takeoff and an airplane skidding off an airport runway.
The APA stated in its memo that “even though United Airlines is currently the subject of public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines.”.
A union representative, Dennis Tajer, stated that the “initial response to our request was encouraging.” The union recently discussed getting involved earlier in safety risk assessments with senior management at the carrier. “We promise to exert every effort to ensure that the United States maintains substantial safety margins.”. “.”.
The union listed additional issues, including a rise in the number of times that equipment is left in sterile areas when planes arrive at gates and inaccurate documentation indicating the transfer of damaged aircraft to another location.
Additionally, APA cautioned members to exercise caution “when operating on the ramps and taxiways in congested airports staffed with inexperienced controllers and ground personnel.”. ****.
The Federal Aviation Administration recently stepped up its oversight of United as part of a comprehensive safety review, which caused some activities to be delayed, including the cancellation of two new routes that United had intended to launch this summer. In addition, the carrier is performing an internal review.
Boeing Company. since the Alaska Airlines incident involving a nearly new 737 Max 9, the FAA has also been closely monitoring the company’s manufacturing and quality control procedures. Since a planemaker’s engineer claimed the company made manufacturing shortcuts on the 787 Dreamliner to reduce production bottlenecks, the aircraft is now under intense scrutiny.
(Updates regarding the meeting with American Air, sixth paragraph).
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