AMERICAN AIRLINES says that first deliveries of new Boeing aircraft will be delayed after US President Bill Clinton intervened to push any pilots' strike back by at least 60 days. Clinton stepped in minutes after the pilots went on strike on 14 February and appointed an emergency mediation board, which is to recommend a settlement by 17 March.
American's $6.6 billion order for 103 aircraft, announced in November 1996, is contingent upon the pilots signing a new contract. The first aircraft in the order, a General Electric CF6-powered Boeing 767-300ER, was scheduled for delivery in March 1998. Initial deliveries are now in jeopardy, American says, but Boeing says that the overall deal is not in danger. The 103 aircraft are to be delivered by 2002, and American has purchase rights on a further 527 for delivery by 2018.
Clinton imposed a 60-day cooling-off period while both sides meet with the three-member presidential board. If either side rejects the board's non-binding settlement, a further 30-day cooling-off period will be imposed before the pilots can strike again. Pushing back any settlement will mean fewer deliveries in 1998, says American, which warns that, if the eventual contract is too expensive, it will scale back the order.
The Allied Pilots Association, representing American's pilots, has vehemently denied reports that it could soften its stance on its key demand that regional jets be flown by American pilots, rather than lower-paid AMR Eagle staff. The union believes that American plans to transfer 2,000-3,000 pilots' jobs to AMR Eagle over ten years if it is allowed to equip its regional arm with jet-powered aircraft.
Source: Flight International
