by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:40 PM ET, Mon May 1, 2023
The pressure is on American
Airlines after a union representing the carrier’s pilots announced Monday it
had approved a strike mandate as the United States prepares for the busy summer
travel period.
According to Reuters.com,
the Allied Pilots Association (APA) represents 15,000 American pilots looking for
higher wages and better working conditions, with over 99 percent of participating
members voting in favor of authorizing a strike.
Union officials said APA members would be conducting
informational picketing at all of American’s major hubs, even as Reuters
reports the airline and its pilots “closed in on an agreement in principle.”
“We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is
within reach and can be finalized quickly,” an American spokesperson said. “The
finish line is in sight.”
Walking off the job would be difficult for American pilots due
to a “complex labor process,” and the airline’s CEO Robert Isom said the
company would be willing to match the recent contract ratified between Delta
Air Lines and its pilots.
Delta’s deal includes $7 billion in pay increases and
benefits over four years.
Airline pilots have been a significant topic of conversation
in the travel industry, as a study from last year found that over 75 percent of
airports in the U.S. have experienced diminished or lost air service due to the
severe
pilot shortage.
According to the Regional Airline Association (RAA), 76
percent of U.S. airports have been impacted by the pilot shortage, with more
than 500 regional aircraft parked and an "associated air service
retraction at 324 communities."
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