Originally Posted by
dera
Doug Parker wanted to guarantee a supply to AA regionals, way before he was working for AA? That's an interesting concept.
It's true. I did union work at US Airways and he started the idea of the program there and planned on transferring it to AA. The company doesn't need a union's permission to hire people. Who the company hires and under what conditions are at the company's discretion. There was no concessionary ask to USAPA or to APA, there was also no incentive given either union, at least at the start. He didn't need their permission to try this program out. I have been retired for a while and the pilot supply problem will probably require modification of the program, however it is being run now, but it was in fact designed as a labor cost saving program by attempting to keep people at the wholly owned because they would have a guaranteed career path to the mainline.