Unions Accuse American Airlines of Not Providing Hotels for Crews

American Airlines’ pilots and flight attendant’s unions say the airline is not providing adequate overnight accommodations for their crews, forcing them to wait hours for a place to rest. While the unions say it is creating a hazardous condition for workers, the airline says they will look into the grievances.

Pilots and flight attendants working for American Airlines say the carrier is not providing hotels for overnight stays, which could create hazardous conditions for both the employees and the flying public. The Wall Street Journal reports both the Allied Pilots Association and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have filed grievances with the carrier over a lack of accommodations.

Unions Say Lack of Rest Creates Workplace Hazards

With travel recovering at an incredible pace, both airlines and travel providers (including hotels and rental car agencies) are being stress tested like never before. In remote locations and small markets, hotel rooms are harder to come by as tourists return once more.

As a result, pilots and flight attendants for American say they are arriving to some cities for an overnight stay but find out there are no reservations for them. As a result, the workers claim they are forced to wait hours to get accommodations – cutting into their rest time between flights. Spokespersons for the unions claim some workers have resorted to sleeping in airports because the airline isn’t booking hotels in time for their arrival.

“Flight attendants should not have to wait hours on end to speak with the hotel/limo desk,” APFA president Julie Hendrick said in a statement to the Journal. “Crew rest is being impacted.”

The new allegations come as American has scrambled to bring back workers to adjust to the schedule changes. In addition to cancelling certain flights and asking for office support at home airport Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the carrier is recalling all workers on voluntary leave in time for the holiday season. In a statement to the newspaper, American said they are looking into the grievances.

Unions File Second Grievance in Four Years over Working Conditions

This is not the first time workers have accused American of cutting corners with worker’s rest time. In 2017, the APA filed an emergency grievance with the airline, claiming scheduling forced aviators to fly under fatigued conditions.