American Airlines Pilots Claim There Has Been a “Significant Spike” in Safety Issues at the Carrier

The union which represents pilots at American Airlines, claims there has been a “significant spike” in safety issues at the Fort Worth-based carrier and has warned its members to take their time when conducting pre-departure checks.

In a leaked internal memo sighted by Bloomberg, the Allied Pilots Association said “problematic trends” that had come to the attention of the union included tools being left where they shouldn’t be and a rise in the number of aircraft collisions during towing.

In other cases, the union warned of incorrect paperwork documenting damage when an aircraft has been towed, as well as hazards left on taxiways and around stands by inexperienced ground staff.

The memo appears to suggest that the increasing number of safety incidents are happening when aircraft are in the hands of engineers and that pilots should ensure they are not rushed to fly a plane they haven’t thoroughly checked first.

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of attention paid to safety issues and mishaps at rival United Airlines, but the union cautioned that if pilots aren’t careful, the same could happen at American Airlines.

“While United Airlines is currently under public and government scrutiny, it could just as easily be American Airlines,” the union told its members.

Despite the warnings, however, APA said it was encouraged by AA’s response to its concerns with the union requesting to be more closely involved in the assessment of safety risks at an early stage.

“We fully intend to do everything we can to assure that American maintains strong margins of safety,” union spokesperson Dennis Tajer noted.

In a statement, American Airlines insisted that it had a “robust safety program” and works with various agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and stakeholders such as APA, to “further bolster our strong safety record and enhance our ever-evolving safety culture.”