Pilot's Rule

[Hopeful]

From: "Tony Leonhardt" <TonyLA1@...>
Date: Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:19 pm
Subject: LGA Pilot Base Brief tony_leonhardt
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Fellow LGA Pilots,

We can all take a great deal of satisfaction from the recent
quarterly results. We out-earned most of the industry when special
items are not considered, including the dreaded JetBlue, which is
finally showing signs of financial distress. We're making important
progress to return this airline to consistent and sustained
profitability.

There is no doubt in my mind that you, the line pilot, deserve the
lion's share of the credit for this positive result. YOU are the ones
who made the sacrifices in your pay, working conditions, and
benefits. YOU are the ones who keeps this airline functioning on a
day to day basis. YOU and your fellow pilots are truly the "key
employees" of our airline. In the eloquent words of one of our
Captains who emailed me on this subject:

"In our business, if every senior manager calls in sick on Monday,
the airline still operates...planes fly...revenue is produced. If
every pilot, mechanic, agent, or FA call in sick, the airline shuts
down. "

While you have begun to turn our financial ship around with your hard
work and sacrifices, it seems that our management has taken the
opportunity to reward itself for your hard work. In AMR's quarterly
10Q report filed on July 25, our company announced that Gerard Arpey
and other members of senior management have been granted a very
lucrative stock bonus plan. While his options won't be vested for
some time, Mr. Arpey's new plan alone is worth 7 million dollars at
current value.

AMR's report indicates that these bonuses are necessary to retain key
managers. My feeling is that granting our managers huge bonuses in
the wake of one moderately profitable quarter is insulting to your
efforts and fails to recognize the sacrifices that you have made.

Much has been made of the new relationship between our managers and
our employees. I've long believed that a real new relationship must
be forged by more that mere lip service. The recent announcement of
huge bonuses for our managers while almost 3000 of our pilots remain
on furlough is just more evidence that the new relationship is just
so much business school rhetoric.

Fly safe,

Sam (Mayer, FO, Chairman, LGA)

 

[Wretched Wrench]

Gee, you mean a few cynical disaffected mechanics aren't the only ones who see through the BS?

 

[TWU informer]

QUESTION....


WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

I have heard enough and read enough of the diatribe e-mails.

WH#N ARE WE GOING TO SO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM?

As usual, our TWU leadership is SILENT on the issue. This is likely due to thier own personal gain made trading AMR stock with inside information during the restructuring debacle.

 

[L1011Ret]

A very humble fellow don't you think? But blinded by his self importance.

 

[Hopeful]

A very humble fellow don't you think? But blinded by his self importance.

[post="287741"][/post]​

'
Don't forget modest!

 

[HGIEFOswitch]

Wow, that's some serious APA koolaid.

 

[Hopeful]

Wow, that's some serious APA koolaid.

[post="287767"][/post]​

What do you expect from a group who just a few years ago wanted themsleves to have a non-rev borading priority over the rest of us peons!

 

[AirLUVer]

What do you expect from a group who just a few years ago wanted themsleves to have a non-rev borading priority over the rest of us peons!

[post="287771"][/post]​

They got it partially with their commuter policy. If they are commuting into base and a flight cancels they are given a deadhead to get to base.

 

[DFWCC]

You AMTs think you're lowly... Try looking up from the gutter, we on the ramp don't even exist according to "pile-its". What that idi0t ( spelled idi-zero-t) fails to realize it that it takes all of us as a team.

 

[eolesen]

The recent announcement of huge bonuses for our managers while almost 3000 of our pilots remain on furlough is just more evidence that the new relationship is just so much business school rhetoric.

[post="287688"][/post]​

So, I suppose Sam's view is that we should just go back to being a 1000 aircraft airline because we posted a profit? Yeah, that will fix things. Not.

We had too many aircraft four years ago, yet today we're flying more passengers per day with fewer aircraft. Getting rid of the costs and yes, the employees, associated with those aircraft are part of the reason we're posting a profit....

 

[AAStew]

Well here is some more pilot self-importance. It seems some cockpit crewmembers are letting F/A's use their unoccupied rest seats.Captain Mark Rubin feels we might come to expect this, so...well just read his memo to the pilots. It went out to all of them this past week. Such horse manure!



MIA 777/767 Captains and First Officers


Pilot Crew Rest Seats

Gentlemen and Ladies,

We have an issue developing that I need your help to correct. Several of our Captains with the concurrence of their First Officers are allowing their Flight Attendant crew to use the cockpit crew rest seats.

This is especially true on the 777 on flights when the pilots plan to only use the crew rest bunks. By doing so unintentionally creates an expectation by the Flight Attendants that we will accommodate their requests. This has caused conflict between the pilots and flight attendants, when the pilots want to keep their seats available.

The Flight Attendants also assume what is ok on the 777 is ok on the 767 and puts our 767 crews in conflict.

I need to remind everyone of a few important considerations concerning your crew rest.

Most important is in-flight safety. Four Flight Attendants are allowed to rest at any given time during the flight. The remaining seven must maintain their observation of the cabin. They are to remain awake to react to the health and service needs of the passengers and cockpit crew, along with providing overall security for the entire aircraft.

On the 767, blocking of the adjacent seat to the pilots crew rest seat was a hard fought battle and that seat needs to remain empty, as described in the contract.

The crew rest seats belong to the pilots of American Airlines, not an individual Captain and/or crew to make their own policy. The seats are there to give you rest options, not to be given away for any other reason, until such a time when other options are negotiated and agreed to for everyone’s benefit.

We now have the best crew rest in the industry and it is your choice to keep it or lose it, as some will point to its unintended use to negatively change our contract.

I support Captain’s authority and initiative, however that authority must be used to strengthen the Captains role at all times for everyone, not just to satisfy ones own purpose.

If you want to use your hard won crew rest options for other reasons, talk it over with your APA leadership, the Company, and let’s do it in a coordinated way.

Below is a recent message sent to all Flight Attendants to emphasize the procedures in place.

Thank you,


Captain Mark Rubin
Director of Flight - MIA

 

[Bob Owens]

Well he did mention other workgroups and his letter was directed to his fellow pilots. How often do we see other groups praising any one other than themselves especially in a letter thats directed to their peers?

The fact is he is right, while we made the sacrifices the top guys reward themselves.

AA Stew, you should keep that letter as supporting evidence of how critical to safety and security flight attendants are. While the comments about FAs "expectations" seem petty I like how he describes the importance of having an adequate number of FAs to maintain safety and security.

 

[eolesen]

AA Stew, you should keep that letter as supporting evidence of how critical to safety and security flight attendants are.

[post="287847"][/post]​

I especially like the part where he says "They are to remain awake to react to the health and service needs of the passengers and cockpit crew."

 

[DFWCC]

From: "Tony Leonhardt" <TonyLA1@...>
Date: Sat Jul 30, 2005  9:19 pm
Subject: LGA Pilot Base Brief  tony_leonhardt
Offline
Send Email 

Fellow LGA Pilots,

We can all take a great deal of satisfaction from the recent
quarterly results. We out-earned most of the industry when special
items are not considered, including the dreaded JetBlue, which is
finally showing signs of financial distress. We're making important
progress to return this airline to consistent and sustained
profitability.

There is no doubt in my mind that you, the line pilot, deserve the
lion's share of the credit for this positive result. YOU are the ones
who made the sacrifices in your pay, working conditions, and
benefits. YOU are the ones who keeps this airline functioning on a
day to day basis. YOU and your fellow pilots are truly the "key
employees" of our airline. In the eloquent words of one of our
Captains who emailed me on this subject:

"In our business, if every senior manager calls in sick on Monday,
the airline still operates...planes fly...revenue is produced. If
every pilot, mechanic, agent, or FA call in sick, the airline shuts
down. "

While you have begun to turn our financial ship around with your hard
work and sacrifices, it seems that our management has taken the
opportunity to reward itself for your hard work. In AMR's quarterly
10Q report filed on July 25, our company announced that Gerard Arpey
and other members of senior management have been granted a very
lucrative stock bonus plan. While his options won't be vested for
some time, Mr. Arpey's new plan alone is worth 7 million dollars at
current value.

AMR's report indicates that these bonuses are necessary to retain key
managers. My feeling is that granting our managers huge bonuses in
the wake of one moderately profitable quarter is insulting to your
efforts and fails to recognize the sacrifices that you have made.

Much has been made of the new relationship between our managers and
our employees. I've long believed that a real new relationship must
be forged by more that mere lip service. The recent announcement of
huge bonuses for our managers while almost 3000 of our pilots remain
on furlough is just more evidence that the new relationship is just
so much business school rhetoric.

Fly safe,

Sam (Mayer, FO, Chairman, LGA)

[post="287688"][/post]​

Hey Sam, someone forgot to mention "Gate Gourmet" the caterers. Gee they seem to have shut BA and when all the pilots showed up for work. HHMMM!!!

 

[Hopeful]

Gee, I hope the pilots don't hurt their arms patting themselves on the backs!