American Eagle, union seek ways to attract pilots
By MARY SCHLANGENSTEIN Bloomberg News
9/1/2007
American Eagle, the commuter carrier for American Airlines, and its pilots union are in talks about incentives to attract more job candidates in a "highly competitive" market.
American Eagle is hiring as many as 700 pilots this year to fill vacancies due to attrition and recalls to American Airlines. American Eagle and American are units of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp.
Commuter carriers are facing a shortage of applicants as major airlines recall furloughed pilots or add new hires.
"We're definitely looking at financial incentives," Dave Ryter, vice chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association at American Eagle, said in an interview Friday. "It's highly competitive for candidates right now."
The carrier, which has about 3,000 pilots, is interested in tailoring what it offers to applicants' qualifications, Jim Winkley, American Eagle's vice president of flight operations, said in an interview.
Ryter and Winkley declined to discuss specific proposals because the talks are ongoing.
"There are different incentives to look at," Winkley said. "We are not offering any incentives now."
American Eagle has reduced
to 800 from 1,000 the hours of total flying experience required for new applicants. The carrier offset that change by modifying its training program to make sure pilots meet the same standards, Winkley said.
The carrier and its union also are in discussions with the Allied Pilots Association, the union at American Airlines, about possible changes to an existing agreement governing the movement of pilots between the two airlines, Ryter said.
The so-called "flow-through, flow-back" agreement in recent years has delayed promotions for American Eagle pilots and could work against the carrier in recruiting, Ryter said. About 600 furloughed American Airlines pilots went to American Eagle after the 2001 terrorist attacks, with about 150 of those remaining at the commuter carrier, he said.
American Eagle is holding job fairs across the country to attract applicants. About 20 pilots a month are moving from the commuter carrier to American Airlines as the larger airline brings back furloughed workers.
"We'd like to see more" applicants for pilot jobs, Winkley said. "We're not seeing as many off-the-street candidates as we used to see."
American Eagle already lets new pilots pick from among its eight operating bases. The union is offering job-placement help for employees who decide to move to another airline, to help open up more senior positions.
The American Eagle pilots' union is "confident that within the next month or two we will have agreements in place" to provide incentives and resolve issues with the Allied Pilots Association accord, Ryter said.
Shares of AMR rose 53 cents Friday to close at $24.51 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has fallen 19 percent this year.