American Air union sues over plan for training new pilots

American Airlines Group was sued by its pilots union to block a plan that would seek volunteers to help with flight-simulator training amid record hiring. The plan would violate the Railway Labor Act, which prohibits unilateral changes to contracts between airlines and their unions, according to the suit, filed Thursday by the Allied Pilots Association in a federal court in Texas. The case comes a day after the union told members not to sign up to assist with simulator training. The work typically is the responsibility of so-called check pilots, not those who fly regularly for the carrier. “The pilots volunteering are highly qualified and experienced, and are responsible for the safety of our customers and fellow crew members every day,” the airline said in response to the lawsuit. American is preparing for a rebound of travel demand into 2023 and says it’s ahead of a plan to add 2,200 pilots this year, meaning as many as 70 new ones need to be trained each week. US airlines are hiring thousands of cockpit crew this year to adjust for early retirements when the Covid-19 pandemic decimated travel demand.<br/>