Crewmember in Critical Condition after Accident, Fund Established to Help Family
On November 28th, Republic Airlines First Officer Robert Amey (Local 357) was walking back to his layover hotel in Savannah, GA after eating when he was struck by a car. Robert was taken to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah in critical condition. As a result of his head injuries, he was placed into a medically induced coma and underwent surgery yesterday to help reduce the cranial pressure. The next three days are critical for Robert's recovery.
“This is a terrible tragedy for Robert and his family. I ask that all Teamsters join me in keeping Robert, Elizabeth, their daughter and his family in our thoughts and prayers. I also ask that they help by providing any assistance they are able to, especially in this season” said Airline Division Director David Bourne, when notified of the accident.
Robert and his wife Elizabeth have a two year old daughter and are expecting their second child. Robert is based in Indianapolis where Elizabeth also works for Republic in the Travel Department. She is currently at his bedside in Savannah with his family. To assist the family with Elizabeth’s expenses while there as well as child care, and future legal expenses Local 357 is started a "grass roots" effort to assist the Amey's. Please send donations to:
Teamsters Local Union No. 357
Attn: Amey Family Grass Roots Donation
6100 Clarks Creed Rd. Suite 100
Plainfield, IN 46168
Make checks payable to Elizabeth Amey
Week In Review News Items
Labor Developments
Several hundred pilots from ALPA picketed Newark Liberty International airport on November 22 and Houston airport on November 23 with signs reading “Who’s Flying Your Plane?”…Finnish airline officials say that a strike by cabin crews has hit more than 200 flights affecting 10,000 passengers on domestic and international routes on Wednesday. The walkout follows a breakdown in negotiations between unions and airlines for a collective labor agreement. The dispute hinges mainly on working hours and days off for long-haul crews.
Legislative, Safety & Regulatory
A co-pilot sent an international passenger jet into a terrifying 2000-metre nosedive when he adjusted his seat and accidentally pushed the control column forward. The 25-year-old officer then panicked and was unable to let the captain, who had gone on a toilet break, back into the cockpit as the plane plunged. The captain only saved the Boeing 737 aircraft after using an emergency code to get through the cockpit door and take the controls back from the co-pilot…a report by Australian aviation investigators on Friday provided fresh insight on the challenges faced by a Qantas A380 jet that experienced a mid-air engine explosion last month, describing in vivid detail the damage sustained to the plane’s wing and fuel systems and lauding the crew’s calm and professionalism in bringing the crippled jet with 469 people aboard to a safe landing in Singapore a mere 150 yards from the end of the runway.
Qantas Airways is claiming damages from engine maker Rolls-Royce over faulty Airbus A380 engines and loss of business, as investigators concluded a design fault was the likely cause of a mid-air engine failure on an Airbus A380 last month…and all 197 airlines that fly to the U.S. are now collecting names, genders and birth dates of passengers so the government can check them against terror watch lists before they fly, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.
Transportation Security Administration
The nation's transportation security chief says he decided to launch controversial new airport pat-down searches without first warning travelers, against the advice of his public relations aides…many of the nation's most frequent fliers — those who travel on business and who the airlines depend on for higher-priced fares — say they oppose new security screening methods at airports, and some are so disturbed that they are cutting back on air travel…and it's astounding how just a hint of a story can turn into a page-one-above-the-fold screaming headline for days on end. And how, in a vacuum of real scrutiny, the DHS can come across like heroes when in fact they're chasing their tails, leaving the nation's airports wide open to another innovative terrorist attack.
Airline Industry Finances & Structure
British Airways PLC's shareholders Monday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the company's merger with Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana S.A., the final step before the carriers become International Consolidated Airlines Group SA in the new year…airlines are adding seats and flights, cautiously betting that the optimistic travel outlook the industry has had for much of the year will continue. In November, the 10 largest U.S. airlines scheduled 2.7% more seats for passengers than the year before, according to a USA TODAY analysis of flight data provided by aviation research firm OAG-The Official Airline Guide. Nine of the 10 carriers added seats by increasing the number of flights or moving to bigger planes. JetBlue led the pack with a 7.6% increase; Delta Air Lines added 5%.
Miscellaneous
After about a year of internal debates, Airbus said Wednesday that it would offer airlines a version of its popular A320 single-aisle plane with new, more fuel-efficient engines. The A320neo, which stands for New Engine Option, would provide “significant” fuel savings of up to 15 percent over current engines, the company said…Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said he sees no roadblocks to converting Boeing Co. 737-700 orders to larger, more fuel- efficient 737-800 models. “The 800 is a very good airplane for the mission,” Kelly said in an interview today in Washington. “It is more cost effective than the 700 is, in many cases, for us. It allows us to seriously consider service to places like Hawaii”…A trade group for the major U.S. airlines on Monday named a Citigroup lobbyist and former White House official as its new president and CEO. The Air Transport Association of America said Nicholas E. Calio will take over the top job at the group on Jan. 1.