Airline Has Re-evaluated The Number Of Pilots It Will Need

American Airlines told its pilots on Friday that it would not need to impose mandatory furloughs in April as it had previously thought. The airline cited a higher than expected attrition rate as the reason 175 pilots would not be let go in two weeks.

Multiple media sources including the Dallas Morning News report that an e-mail was sent out by American Chief Pilot Mark Hetterman Friday morning. "While those that volunteered for the Furlough Mitigation Program for April won't be needed, I want to thank each of them for their willingness to step up to the plate on behalf of their fellow pilots. It is truly a testament to the character of our pilot corp," he said in the e-mail.

The Allied Pilots Association shared the news with a broader audience through its website Friday. "Management informed Negotiating Committee Chairman First Officer Neil Roghair this (Friday) morning that they have decided to cancel the furloughs that had been scheduled for April 1. First Officer Roghair reports that the reasons management gave for rethinking the April 1 furloughs are 'an uptick in interest in retirements and the level of interest in the February 28 furlough mitigation," the message said.

Dallas television station WFAA reports that 78 American Airlines pilots were furloughed on February 28th. American reports its seat capacity for the first two months of this year is down 3.4 percent compared to January and February last year.

FMI: www.aa.com, www.alliedpilots.org