American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Saturday he will meet with the carrier’s pilot union as soon as possible, as pilots’ concerns over the recent storm and the company’s financial management have grown.
The carrier has faced criticism from employees over its handling of the storm that swept through the United States in January (Representational photo/AP)Isom said in a letter to Nick Silva, president of the Allied Pilots Association, that he and the US carrier’s board discussed the union’s request for a meeting.
“The board and I are united with you in our desire to make American a strong airline in all areas,” Isom said in the letter reviewed by Reuters.
On Friday, the union representing more than 16,000 American Airlines pilots asked management to present its concerns to the carrier’s board of directors. The request for pilots comes as the carrier works to convince investors that it can narrow the profit gap with rivals and deliver a sustainable turnaround. The carrier has also faced criticism from employees for its handling of the January storm that swept through the US
“This assessment is not the result of a single interaction with management, an isolated operational disruption, or an isolated earnings report; it is the result of a continuing pattern of operational, cultural and strategic failures,” Allied Pilots Association board members wrote to the carrier’s board of directors on Friday.
