American Airlines’ response to the announcement of a merger support agreement between US Airways and AA unions is, to say the least, lackluster.  If anything, I actually read a hint of bully in the announcement.  It says:

“American Airlines is moving steadily through the Court supervised restructuring process and the Court has granted American the exclusive right to create its plan of reorganization at least until September 28, 2012. We are making substantial progress in our efforts to return American to industry leadership, profitability and growth and maximize its value for all of its stakeholders.”Our immediate next step is to pursue vital modifications to our collective bargaining agreements through the 1113 process that begins on Monday, April 23rd. We believe statements of non-binding support from union leaders for alternative proposals are no coincidence given the timing of the 1113 process. These statements do not in any way alter the company’s commitment to pursue our business plan or our focus on moving steadily through the court supervised restructuring process to create a profitable, growing industry leader.

“For American’s outstanding employees and loyal customers, business continues on track, as we continue to provide the safe, reliable travel experience our customers expect.”

This, I believe, is non-productive when having to deal not only with your 3 largest unions but unions who have a significant amount of input on your unsecured creditors committee.  It also demonstrates that you don’t “get it” when it comes to your labor and the need to lead them through this bankruptcy.

Filed under: Airline News by ajax
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