American Air ASAP Absent

The Flight Safety Foundation is disappointment that American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association union have allowed the air carrier’s trailblazing Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) to end during the latest rounds of contract negotiations. "For years, American Airlines and its employess have been leaders in the field of aviation safety with its ASAP program," says FSF President and CEO William R. Voss. "Airlines around the world modeled their own internal reporting programs after ASAP. The FSF has publicly supported this program and others like it as an important tool to prevent accidents. We are alarmed that either side would allow this incredibly important safety program to fall victim to distrust between labor and management. We strongly urge both sides to return to the bargaining table and get this program back online. The entire industry is facing difficult times and disputes are inevitable, but no one should ever allow safety to become a bargaining chip," Voss believes. The program expired after American and the pilots union failed to negotiate its renewal. Both sides are blaming the other for the failure to keep the partnership alive.