“We are Crucial to the Future of Our Airline”

American Eagle pilots (repped by ALPA), are voicing concerns that their issues may not be heard as AMR Corp. revives its study of whether to sell American Eagle. They insist that they 'must be included in decisions about their airline’s future.' American Eagle is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.

“The pilots of Compass, Mesaba, Pinnacle, and TSA have our unwavering support as they work with their companies to make these acquisitions a successful partnership for all their stakeholders—including their pilots.”

“(The) reported sale by Delta of Compass and Mesaba, coupled with our new president and CEO’s announcement that he has been tasked with evaluating the possible divestiture of American Eagle, signal a changing industry landscape that our pilots have a critical role in shaping,” said Capt. Tony Gutierrez, chairman of the Eagle pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC).

“We are an essential asset to this company and the support of Eagle pilots will be a vital component in the decision-making process about Eagle’s future.”

Pilot union representatives have reached out to Eagle president and CEO Dan Garton to establish a cooperative working relationship. While Garton has reassured the pilots that no decisions have yet been made about a possible sale or spin-off, the Eagle MEC is looking at any potential transaction as a real possibility, and preparing for such an event.

“We are diligently investigating the possible sale of American Eagle and conducting our own in-depth analysis of various scenarios, using all of the resources available to us through ALPA,” Capt. Gutierrez explained.

“In the meantime, we continue to operate under the same mission: we will do everything in our power to ensure that any potential transaction is in the best long-term interests of American Eagle pilots.”

This is a common mission that the Eagle pilots share with their ALPA-represented colleagues at Compass and Mesaba, as well as at TSA and Pinnacle (the airlines that acquired the two regionals from Delta). Although the Compass and Mesaba transactions do not directly affect the pilots at Eagle, they do have an impact on the industry and the airline piloting profession as a whole.

“The pilots of Compass, Mesaba, Pinnacle, and TSA have our unwavering support as they work with their companies to make these acquisitions a successful partnership for all their stakeholders—including their pilots,” Capt. Gutierrez said.

FMI: www.alpa.org