The American Eagle pilots union, a unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l., condemned AMR’s plans to divest the regional carrier from its parent company. Analysis www.aviationtoday.com/ran/2007-12-03/ ALPA said that any deal that would separate all or part of Eagle from AMR to lower the wages of experienced pilots could cause many Eagle employees – not only pilots, but also professional maintenance technicians and flight attendants – to rethink their career choice at Eagle. The group noted Eagle is already having a difficult time recruiting pilots, even as part of the AMR family. The group attacked CFO Thomas Hortan’s statements made at the divestiture announcement.
"Mr. Horton's statements are irresponsible and cavalier,” said Captain Herb Mark, chair of the American Eagle pilots' union. “Splitting up Eagle flying would be a deal killer to our pilots. Our pilots do not want a return to the Eagle of the mid-1990s when four carriers made up Eagle and pilots were pitted against each other with no clear-cut work rules, different collective bargaining agents, and a lack of operational consistency.
“Dividing up American Eagle flying could potentially cause travel nightmares for the flying public in several cities,” the union continued. “The American Eagle route network is designed as one unit with a single goal – to feed American Airlines with the right aircraft on the right route. Dismantling that network would weaken American Airlines. Selling off routes or aircraft to existing carriers would also create a classic case of whipsawing – using one pilot group against another as leverage to drive down pay rates and alter work rules.”
Captain Mark pointed to the slim profit margins at regionals, saying pilots would leave if new management were to try to take more from labor groups. "It's just not our responsibility to fund the profitability of airlines,” he said. “Lower costs must not come on the backs of pilots by leveraging experienced Eagle pilots against its competitors for work currently done by Eagle. Mr. Horton's remarks have created uncertainty among our pilots and have become a huge distraction as they move passengers across the country this holiday season. We are already hearing from our pilots that they see little future at Eagle, and many are already making plans to seek employment elsewhere."