The American Airlines pilot union is telling its members to delay flights if their crew meal isn’t properly loaded for them.
- Without “adequate sustenance” the union reminds pilots that they might consider themselves “fit..for duty.”
- And the airline has been saying that if their meal isn’t loaded and they want to be reimbursed, they should cap their purchase at $30 and make the purchase “within 90 minutes of the segment on which the crew meal was not boarded” even though this is not in their contract.
In other to smooth reimbursement, the union says “pilots will be forced to focus on securing a timely meal rather than preparing for the performance of their duties.”
In other words, delay the flight and head into the terminal to pick up food – it “may also be advisable to secure a replacement meal before departure to avoid any issues with the Company-imposed time limit.”
American Airlines is positioning managers in airports to help address missing meals and dirty planes.
This is framed as being part of the carrier’s premium pivot. However it’s just as likely so that pilots don’t mess with D0 exact on-time departures.
When the airline fails to board a meal for a pilot, the pilot is entitled not just to reimbursement but cash compensation in their paycheck.
Traditionally pilots have received the same meal as first class and in fact the contractual requirement for pilot meals helped speed their return for first class passengers as well during the pandemic.
Flights get delayed by weather and by mechanical issues all the time. But as Paddle Your Own Kanoo puts it, thanks to American’s frequent failures to properly cater their aircraft, “there’s another reason why your next flight on American Airlines could be delayed and it’s down to the fact that pilots might have to join the long lines at food concessions in the airport concourse if their contractually agreed crew meal hasn’t been loaded.”
