American Airlines pilot tests positive for coronavirus

An American Airlines Group pilot tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first at the carrier to be diagnosed with the disease that’s infected more than 128,000 people globally and killed nearly 5,000. The aviator is undergoing treatment, American’s pilots union said Thursday. Neither the Allied Pilots Association nor the airline would confirm when the pilot became ill, say if he or she was flying recently or release any personal information. The union learned of the coronavirus case Wednesday night. American said it is “in close contact” with the CDC and public health officials. The American case may be just the start of crew members falling ill, said Robert Mann, an aviation consultant. “I’d be shocked if it didn’t occur more and more frequently as things go on,” said Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Co. “I’d say the same of flight attendants. The real concern is that crew members have a strong motivation -- sometimes it’s financial and sometimes it’s fear of repercussions -- to fly when they’re ill and they may think it’s a mild cold.” Mann said he would still be more concerned about exposure to fellow passengers who may be ill than crew members.<br/>