Comair and its parent, Delta Airlines have joined American in dropping participation in the Aviation Safety Action Program, a program the National Transportation Safety Board sees as critical to reducing accident rates. Comair dropped it’s ASAP role in October, while Delta did so in November 2006, citing disagreements with the Air Line Pilots Association. American launched the program in 1994 and dropped it in October after negotiations with its union, the Allied Pilots Association, broke down. Safety experts criticized the moves saying safety should not become a victim of union politics.
The program allows pilots to self-report safety mistakes without fear of punishment. Union pilots charged, however, that American takes disciplinary action, short circuiting the attempt to spot negative safety trends before they conspire to cause an accident. The carriers said pilot treatment has been fair.