Airline Division News Items
Section 6 Opener for Republic Airlines Holdings Flight Attendants Sent
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Republic Airlines Holdings and its flight attendants is due to expire September 1, 2009. As required by the Railway Labor Act, a notice that the Teamsters intend to negotiate a new CBA was sent on March 10, 2009. The CBA covers Chautauqua, Shuttle America and Republic Airlines.
United Airlines Mechanics to Negotiate a New Collective Bargaining Agreement
United Airlines' CBA with its mechanics and related employees is due to expire at the end of the year. A Section 6 opener notifying United that the Teamsters intend to negotiate a new CBA was sent March 10, 2009. This will be the first Teamsters' mechanics contract at United. The initial meeting to kick off negotiations, which will be a presentation by the company, is scheduled to be held in Chicago on April 14, 2009.
The Teamsters Aircraft Mechanics Coalition (TMAC) is Gearing Up
The TMAC is finishing up a brochure on its purpose and activities which will be sent out very shortly. The first TMAC newsletter is also very near completion. Chris Moore, who heads up the coalition, urges all Teamster mechanics to supply information on defects on outsourced maintenance work discovered in the course of your work. The form to provide information can be found on the Airline page at the Teamster web site (www.teamster.org).
Atlas and Polar Pilots Announce the Formation of a "Transitional Executive Council" (TEC)
Atlas and Polar have joined Local 1224. The TEC purpose is to improve representation for the Worldwide Crewmembers Council within Local 1224 while guiding the council through contract negotiations and insuring that contract provisions for each group are honored until contract amalgamation is completed. Captain Stephen Richards from Atlas and Captain Bob Kiechner from Polar were named Transitional Executive Co-chairmen. First Officer Dave Allen from Atlas and First Officer Darsh Dhillon from Polar will also serve on the TEC.
Week in Review News Items
Labor Developments
United Airlines notched a legal victory Monday when a federal appeals court let stand a preliminary injunction that bars the carrier's pilots union from interfering with its operations. Hawaiian Airlines says it has reached a tentative labor agreement with the union that represents 1,200 of its employees. Hawaiian's president and chief executive, Mark Dunkerley, said Monday that the agreement is expected to be voted on in the coming weeks by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. And American Airlines will furlough 323 flight attendants, all former TWA workers who had been recalled in the past two years.
Aircraft Maintenance
American Airlines says the engine failure that caused a jet to make an emergency landing in New Yorkon Wednesday may have been caused by an object — something other than a bird — sucked into the engine. An American spokesman on Thursday defended the airline's maintenance of the jet, saying it had been put through all required safety inspections and that it appeared to be operating normally. The National Transportation Safety Board late Wednesday issued an "urgent safety recommendation" calling for Rolls-Royce to "redesign" the Trent 800's fuel/oil heat exchanger to prevent the fuel feed system icing. And American is also taking a look at closing one of its three major maintenance bases as its fleet and operations shrink, chief financial officer Tom Horton said Tuesday.
USG Developments
Last week, the US House Transportation Committee approved its Chairman's amendment to an essential FAA funding bill. Apart from approving the FAA bill's main purpose of delivering funding for long overdue upgrading of the US' shambles of an air traffic control system, the Committee also accepted the Congressman's amendment, which takes a hefty whack at the international aviation structure. And President Obama's first budget proposal boosts funding to offset security costs throughout the transportation system and includes more money to improve the national airspace.
Airline Industry Demand
Airlines and travel companies say they do not expect the slump in bookings by business travelers to recover anytime soon. The volume of business travel bookings done through agencies dropped 20 percent in January and February. Lufthansa has blamed a 63.8% decline in yearly profits on record fuel costs, strike-related losses and an industry-wide fall in demand and warned yesterday of a deep fall in operating profit this year. Aer Lingus gave up any chance of pretax profit as airlines worldwide brace for a sharp slowdown in travel.U.S.airlines are cutting back on once-lucrative overseas flights as a global recession prompts a sudden, steep decline in international travel. Delta on Tuesday said it would reduce its international flying 10 percent, starting in September. The major airlines may soon announce more plans to cut schedules and park jets, some analysts believe, as a decline in travel demand accelerates. On a brighter note, although airlines are cutting fares amid a decline in travel, fees for checked baggage and other services are buttressing revenues.
Web 2.0
Airports are catching on to the Twitter trend. Baltimore/Washington International now has a Twitter account used to deliver airport status reports and travel information to travelers' smartphones. Twitter is an online service used to send and receive short messages no longer than 140 characters. BWI says its Twitter account came in handy in providing up-to-the minute information about delays during the heavy snow last week that affected air travel in much of the eastern United States
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