Guys...

Here's what I posted on eaglelounge.com as to the question of how Eagle pilots should be treating the TSA pilots.

I would hope that you would treat these pilots just as you would like to be treated - like professional aviators.

Our problem is not with them. It is with AA and AE management who don't see a problem with furloughing their own employees while outsourcing jobs to another company.

It seems clear that they seem intent on positioning themselves for 2013 so as not to have only one provider of regional feed. CEO Arpey and CFO Horton have virtually spelled this out in so many words. Horton, by the way, was the one who crafted the Expressjet deal with CAL. You might deduce what his intentions might be for the Eagle pilot group.

For now, ALPA is working with an outside law firm, specialists in airline scope cases, on our grievance on the TSA flying. We have a case because they are using our very own planes. But, even if we are successful in the TSA case, what would stop AMR from inviting some other XYZ regional to perform our flying?

Our scope contract language covers flying by American Eagle Airlines - not by AMR.

We certainly won't let this go by quietly, though. We may need the combined help of the entire pilot group in the next few weeks.

Capt. Rich Krutenat
MEC Communications Chairman

FOR THE RECORD:
According to statistics from our own management, Eagle pilots are as productive or more productive as any other regional airline pilot group. Eagle pilots have excelled at implementing our fuel savings programs. Eagle is just as competetive as TSA in that AMR pays exactly the same price for both airlines to perform the regional feed function. Eagle's profits are lower, because our costs are higher, but it is not true that "TSA does it cheaper" - at least not from AMR's perspective.