Union Hits ‘Training On The Cheap’

The Allied Pilots Association is accusing American Airlines of "training on the cheap" in its implementation of new fleet-wide flight deck procedures during challenging conditions. The union says the company preceded the changes with a bulletin, flight manual amendments and a short video rather than through a formal training process. "American Airlines Flight Operations management is attempting to circumvent robust safety-related pilot training by unilaterally imposing operational changes via bulletin," the union said on its website Monday. Pilots got the material in early December and the new doctrine was implemented a month later.

The bulletin and video cover revised flight deck communications and procedures during "high-threat" periods like rejected takeoffs, low visibility approaches and go-arounds and are intended to harmonize those procedures across all aircraft types. The airline countered that the changes are not that complicated and that the FAA has signed off on the homework assignment. "These updates have been underway since 2021 and have been a coordinated effort with APA’s Training Committee," the airline said in a statement. "Additionally, the approach to familiarizing our pilots has been approved by the FAA."  The union said it asked the FAA to intervene and tell American to delay implementation of the procedures but never heard back.