American Airlines Staggers as Pilots Show Support
As striking flight attendants continued to cripple much of its operations, American Airlines on Friday averted a potential shutdown when its pilots union decided not to strike, but to instead support the attendants by flying empty jets at a great cost to the airline.
Meanwhile, American ticket-holders, faced with a second day of canceled flights nationwide, scrambled to claim an increasingly short supply of seats on other carriers for the Thanksgiving Day holiday--one of the busiest times of the year for air travel.
At John Wayne Airport, American ticket agents spent the day searching computer screens for flights on other airlines for their stranded passengers.
Ian and Lori Luscomee of San Juan Capistrano, trying to get to San Jose Friday night for a wedding, were placed on a United Airlines flight to San Francisco.
“Now our family has to pick us up there, and that’s going to be an hour drive for them in Friday night traffic,” Ian Luscomee said.
Some American Airlines agents at John Wayne said that the day’s confusion was tempered slightly by travelers who remade plans through travel agents before coming to the airport.
“It’s a matter of calling us and hoping that we have a seat on the flight you want,” Delta Air Lines spokesman Bill Berry said. “Then, you will have to be flexible. You may have to be willing to arrive earlier or later in the day” than originally planned.
Dallas-based American, the nation’s second-largest airline, had faced systemwide collapse if the 10,000-member Allied Pilots Assn. had decided to honor the flight attendants’ picket lines, according to industry observers. For the second consecutive day, American said it was able to fill only 50% of its scheduled flights because of the lack of qualified flight attendants. Travel agents said they believed that even fewer flights departed with passengers.
In a joint news conference with the 21,000-member Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants, Allied Pilots Assn. President Rich LaVoy said: “The need for a sympathy strike has been superseded” by the success of the flight attendants’ strike.
The flight attendants asked the pilots to keep flying, arguing that it would cost American more to keep the airline running with only half its normal customers than shutting it down, said Jody Hill, chairman of the pilot union’s Los Angeles area chapter.
The pilots union had planned to reveal results Friday of a non-binding vote of members on the question of launching a sympathy strike, but the union leadership ordered the ballots destroyed before being tabulated. LaVoy said the union will continue to watch the strike “and retains the right to reconsider a sympathy strike.”
American officials claim that the pilot’s election would have resulted in a vote against a strike. “It was quite obvious that it was the direction that the vote would have gone,” said spokesman Tim Smith.
Earlier in the day, American filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Texas seeking to block the pilots union from holding a sympathy strike. The airline had won an injunction barring ground crews from launching a similar protest.
The strike, which is scheduled to last until Nov. 29, began Thursday after the flight attendants and American deadlocked over salary demands, changes in work rules and concessions sought by the company. The flight attendants say the raises the airline is offering would be negated by employee contributions for health and retirement benefits.
American, which has suffered heavy losses in recent years, also wants to operate some flights with fewer flight attendants as part of a plan to cut operating costs in the face of stiff competition from low-fare airlines.
Despite the lack of a pilots strike, the flight attendants’ strike continued to snarl American flights worldwide. Under federal regulations, a commercial airliner cannot fly without at least one qualified flight attendant for every 50 seats--regardless of whether they are filled.
In Southern California, American had to cancel at least 34 of its 46 scheduled departures from Los Angeles International Airport, including a flight to London. The airline had better luck at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, where about 40% of nearly 25 departures left with passengers.
For some passengers, the change resulted in unexpected advantages. Mark Hogan of Corning, N.Y., flying out of John Wayne on Friday night, said he would arrive home about 30 minutes earlier on the Northwest flight on which he had been re-booked.
“I’m a union worker, so I support the union,” Hogan said. “It’s unfortunate it had to come to this situation.”
With the statue of actor John Wayne as their backdrop, a group of flight attendants began picketing quietly at 6 a.m. Friday. Some strikers took pictures of colleagues who crossed the picket line.
“The pictures are for our information,” said Suzan MacHardy, a striking flight attendant, a camera slung over her shoulder. “We want to know who is true to us and who is trying to undermine the collective bargaining efforts. We just want to know who our friends are and who they aren’t.”
But one American Airlines ticket agent, who declined to give her name, called the picture-taking an intimidation tactic.
American said it gave priority in operating nonstop flights between Los Angeles and New York’s Kennedy International Airport. Favored by entertainment executives, at least three of the nine daily flights departed with passengers on Friday, travel agents said. In contrast, all nine flights to Chicago from LAX were canceled.
Airlines such as United, Delta, Continental, Northwest and America West have agreed to honor most American tickets--including discount fares--through Nov. 30 if space is available. In most cases, American ticket-holders can call other carriers to reserve a seat.
But even on competing carriers, space is tight for Wednesday flights to Dallas, Chicago, Nashville, Miami and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.,--cities where American is the dominant carrier or a major player. Seats are also in very limited supply for the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving.
Passengers and travel agents were left fuming when American delayed flights indefinitely before canceling them.
“They aren’t telling the customers anything at the airports in a timely manner to take advantage of alternate flights,” said Jim M. Roberts of Uniglobe Regency Travel in Rancho Cucamonga.
Some passengers were confused at John Wayne because monitors listing flight information flashed “On Time” for American Airlines flights that had been canceled or that were taking off without passengers.
Times staff writer Eric Young contributed to this story
Flight Plans
Major carriers are accepting American Airlines tickets for flights with same origin and destination points. All of those listed below accept full-fare and discounted tickets without prior approval from American. For frequent flier and other free tickets, most need American to reissue the tickets. For international flights, passengers in most instances need the tickets endorsed.
America West Airlines
* Full-fare and discounted domestic tickets accepted for same class if seats are available.
* Frequent flier tickets need endorsement from American.
* International passengers must have ticket endorsed by American.
* Upgrades and downgrades permitted.
Continental
* Full-fare and discounted domestic tickets accepted for same class if seats are available.
* Frequent flier tickets need endorsement from American.
* International passengers must have ticket endorsed by American.
* Upgrades and downgrades permitted.
Delta
* Full-fare and discount tickets in comparable class accepted if seats are available.
* Frequent flier or free tickets need endorsement from American
* International tickets accepted without endorsement
* Upgrades at extra cost and downgrades permitted.
Southwest Airlines
* Will accept full-fare and discounted domestic tickets for standby travel only.
* No frequent fliers.
* No upgrades or downgrades.
United Airlines
* Accepting all domestic and international tickets, including frequent flier tickets, for comparable seats if available; no endorsement from American needed.
* Refunds for downgrades; upgrades are permitted under some circumstances.
USAir
* Accepting all domestic full-fare and discount tickets.
* Frequent flier and international tickets must be endorsed by American.
TWA
* Full-fare and discounted tickets, both domestic and international, accepted directly if comparable seats are available.
* Frequent flier tickets must be endorsed.
* Upgrades and downgrades permitted.
