New US Transportation Secretary Urges US Airways, American To Follow Delta's Lead

At the urging of new US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, airlines and pilot unions that have let their Aviation Safety Action Program lapse are taking another look at changes in the language of the program to reach an agreement on terms.

The Dallas Morning News reports American Airlines and US Airways are negotiating with their respective pilots unions, the Allied Pilots Association and US Airline Pilots Association, to restart ASAP. Of interest to both sides is the recent agreement between Delta Air Lines and the Air Line Pilots Union, reinstating their safety program after more than two years of bickering across the bargaining table.

ASAP is a safety program that encourages pilots to report safety issues -- including mistakes they made -- so that they, other pilots, their airline and other carriers can learn from and avoid similar problems and mistakes.

The fundamental disagreement over ASAP between pilot unions and the airlines has been two-sided: Unions say pilots need protection from reprisals stemming out of their safety reports, and the airlines say they need the authority to discipline pilots who deserve it.

American allowed its participation in ASAP to lapse last October, as ANN reported.  In a statement released last week, American Airlines announced inviting APA president Lloyd Hill "to join us in seeking FAA approval to reinstate" the original safety agreement.

"Fifteen years ago, American Airlines and its pilots helped create ASAP, which now stands as a model for our industry, providing increased protection to our pilots and dramatically enhancing aviation safety," the carrier said.

APA spokesman Sam Mayer indicated a revision of the previous agreement's language is mandatory. He is impressed with the Delta - ALPA agreement, which gives pilots increased protection in a side letter to the main agreement.

"If they wanted to negotiate it like Delta in a side letter, I think we'd be fine with that," he said. "We don't care how we get there as long as we can develop those protections to the pilots."

FMI: www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/aircraft_aviation/asap/