Union chief says American pushing pilots to speed up flights

[AmericanFlyer]

Union chief says American pushing pilots to speed up flights (http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/07/29/union-chief-says-american-pushing-pilots-speed-up-flights/87723262/)

[vapilot2004]

The proposed new practices at AMR Corp should return to 'normal' once fuel prices go back up.

[poorjohn]

I suppose the Union Chief knows what he's talking about, but it sounds like AA is asking dispatchers/pilots to file optimistic-but-legal flight plans when a more conservative plan would show the crew running out of hours before landing. But it's BS to imply that AA has told its pilots that their first priority is to ignore safety and adhere with that plan when weather or other events intervene. Either that or AA and its lawyers are too stupid to be in their positions.

[Intruder]

I don't know what the issue is...

Increasing speed to make a schedule is a common practice. The only time I've seen it approach "illegal" is when they use a 'historic' flight time estimate calculated at that higher speed for the schedule, then expect the crew to fly a slower speed to save $$ and go over their duty time limit. I've had that happen several times, and had to change back to the high-speed plan.

[Pakehaboy]

Quote poor john.."Either that or AA and its lawyers are too stupid to be in their positions"

I think you'll find most of us think that APA and AA are just that!!

[timbob]

Show of hands. How many have flown faster to meet arrival time to find, after landing, that the arrival gate was still occupied by a departing flight?

[AmericanFlyer]

Just the opposite happened to me. I was flying on an evening flight from Chicago to Houston on Continental Airlines, and the flight was delayed and we arrived at IAH at about 11 PM. We pulled up to the empty gate, and the baggage crew removed the baggage but no one was working the jetway. The pilot several times said he was trying to contact someone at the airport, but they told him all of the Continental gate agents had gone home.

Finally, after two hours someone operated the jetway, and we departed the aircraft at 1 AM.

[nicolai]

That's when you need EC261/2004 compensation to give the airline some pain so it organises itself properly.i They would have had to pay compensation based on the extra 2 hours there, you aren't considered to have arrived for EC261 compensation purposes until the aircraft door opens.