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American Airlines stepped up a verbal battle with Qatar Airways, assailing what the US company said were “sexist and ageist” comments by the Mideast carrier’s CEO. The rebuke was triggered after Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said at a Dublin event that the average age of his cabin crews is 26 and that “you are always being served by grandmothers” on US carriers. The remarks were “incredibly offensive,” Jill Surdek, vice president of flight service for American Airlines Group Inc., said in a message to employees Tuesday. “It was both sexist and ageist at the same time.” The exchange fueled a spat between the two carriers, which have been trading barbs since American disclosed last month that Qatar Airways had expressed interest in buying about 10% of the US carrier. American CEO Doug Parker has called Qatar Airways’ intention “puzzling at best and concerning at worst.” Al Baker last week responded that his counterpart was “frightened” by the proposed investment.<br/>

Dozens of American Airlines pilots are facing a demotion from captain to first officer and a corresponding pay cut after losing a contract dispute that traces to the company's 2001 acquisition of Trans World Airlines. An arbitrator ruled last week that protections guaranteeing a limited number of captain positions to former TWA pilots, now employees at American, had expired. The decision means 85 or more former TWA pilots could be demoted from captain to first officer, with a corresponding number of American pilots making the move up from first officer to captain. The difference in pay between the two ranks can be as wide as $75 an hour, according to a lawsuit relating to the case. American and the Allied Pilots Association have avoided taking a side in the dispute, which pits two groups of employees against one another. But they'll have to sort through the fallout of the arbitrator's decision, which will alter the bidding priorities for a subset of American's more than 15,000 pilots and could force some to change their base of operations. <br/>