On Friday, the Allied Pilots Association responded to the delays and cancellations which has been plaguing American Airlines.
A spokesperson said because pilots are currently not under contract, they aren’t taking any chances when it comes to flying an aircraft.
The Allied Pilots Association issued the following response regarding recent media reports that pilots were disrupting flight schedules with trivial maintenance requests on Friday evening
"American Airlines pilots are trained professionals who are responsible for flying their passengers safely around the world every day. The list of unresolved maintenance issues grows every day on each of the aging aircraft we operate, and we can’t ignore serious maintenance issues that could easily turn into safety risks. Our pilots will not compromise safety, ever," said APA President Keith Wilson. "American Airlines chose to reject our contract and the operational procedures and protections that go with it. Understandably, our pilots are taking a prudent and cautious approach in their operational decision-making process," Wilson added.
The association went on to outline some of the current maintenance-related issues.
• A left engine generator failed in flight
• An aircraft sustained a lightning strike
• The ground proximity warning system failed in flight
• A partial flight control failure
• Weather radar test inoperative
• A fuel leak on right wing main tank
• The left landing light was damaged
• A wind shear warning failure
• A brake anti-skid failure
• The engine start valve failed to close
American Airlines spokesman Bruce Hicks responded late Friday night saying, "No one at American is questioning normal maintenance write-ups and we must ensure that our safe operations continue each and every flight. However, for the past 14 days, we have seen unprecedented pilot maintenance write ups, many at the time of scheduled departure, which is having an impact on our operation."
"We sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this is causing. Our focus remains on getting our customers where they need to go, and we encourage customers to go to aa.com for a full list of all we are doing to address their concerns and meet their needs," said Hicks.
