Pilots On Furlough

[MachPi]

I forgot to mention...regarding the original topic of this thread, a little birdie told me to expect a furlough of about 200 pilots in September (to be announced by the company by the end of this week). Bank on it...

After that, the furloughs are done, barring something unexpected (another terrorist attack, another serious downturn in the economy, etc). Expect pilot recalls to begin perhaps as early as summer 2005, but more than likely they won't start until the fall of 2005.

Looks like your little birdie pulled a kind of AMR 'Chip:'

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040528/american_pilots_16.html


Associated Press
American Likely to Rehire Some Pilots
Friday May 28, 2:19 pm ET
American Airlines Likely to Rehire Some Pilots to Replace Hundreds of Retiring Captains

DALLAS (AP) -- American Airlines says it plans next year to recall a portion of the 2,400 pilots it has laid off since 2001 to replace hundreds of retiring captains.

The number of pilots to be rehired is unclear. The airline says about 300 of its 10,000 pilots retire each year.

American, the biggest U.S. carrier, is expanding capacity by about 6 percent this year. However, much of that is by replacing seats that had been removed to make more legroom and won't increase demand for pilots.

The airline might also need more pilots if it wins the right to begin new flights to China.

Company officials have told employees that American hopes to begin service from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Shanghai and Hong Kong. American still needs approval from China to fly the routes.

The China service would add about 100 pilots, according to union officials, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The Fort Worth-based carrier would like to boost its profile in Asia. This year, it added service between Los Angeles and Tokyo.

 

[Winglet]

DIG!! DIG!! Oneflyer You're almost there. Another couple of posts and you can have a REAL Chinese dinner tonight.

Oneflyer is very entertaining. Sort of like watching a talkative drunk get arrested on "Cops." . . . . . and the cops can't keep from laughing.

 

[Mach85ER]

"Do not mean to stir the pot, but if you are sleeping...... what good are you for?....... don't tell me it's for security and cabin safety. Think about it. "

Re security, not much good if something starts at my seat when I'm sleeping, better in other situations that need not to be discussed here. I was referring to flight safety, not cabin safety which should be handled by the FA's. Trying to get from 20A to the cockpit thru piles of empty overhead bins and ijured pax after a severe turbulence event isn't something I want to try.

"The idea that bag eating jeopardizes safety is just laughable. I bet those chicken tenders and fries you have in the Chili's at DFW just load you up with energy and awareness. Maybe instead taking a delay just so you can show everyone who the boss is, "

Chicken tenders and fries from Chili's would be ok. What is not "ok" is eating bag/bistro food for several 12 hour duty days in a row, that's the point here. Having a bad mini sandwich along with 6 Tostito's in a small bag just doesn't cut it and IS a safety problem over a few days.
Delaying a flight generally does nothing for the pilot's and FA's, but should be done if something as important as food is needed. Any delay can cut into their off time, time between flights, risk a misconnect and lose pay, and cut into needed layover rest time and nobody gets paid even though the FA's and pilots are doing their jobs at the gate.

"you could bring a snack along like the rest of the working world."

13 FA's and pilots generally have less stowage space than the typical office cubicle.
Bringing food coolers isn't an option. Also, if I had the food options that everyone else at AA has besides the flight crews, there wouldn't be a debate here from me.