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American Airlines’ pilot union is taking steps toward seeking federal mediation in contract negotiations as talks with the country’s largest carrier drag on, according to a note from the labor group. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents some 15,000 American Airlines aviators, said in a message to pilots last week that its board unanimously approved a motion for the union to prepare an application for National Mediation Board intervention in its talks with the company, though it had not filed as of Monday afternoon. The union’s potential request that the National Mediation Board intervene comes more than three months after American CEO Robert Isom offered pilots 17% raises in a new contract proposal. Major pilot groups around the U.S., which also include those at Southwest, United, Delta and FedEx, have struggled to reach agreements as they seek pay increases amid high inflation and better schedules after a rollercoaster pandemic that saw flight hours slashed and then surge. Several groups have already turned to mediation. Pilots for those carriers have been picketing in recent months. Compensation and some working conditions are among issues still up in the air with American, APA spokesman Dennis Tajer said.<br/>

Cathay Pacific is set to ramp up flying through the end of the year – with flights to more points in its network restored – as it confirms that it is “on course” for recovery. The optimistic outlook comes as Cathay reported strong improvement in passenger traffic results for September, following the Hong Kong government’s move to eliminate quarantine for all arriving travellers. Airline chief customer and commercial officer Ronald Lam says the airline “remains focused on adding as many passenger flights as we can”, as Hong Kong eased travel curbs. Lam adds: “[Our] target is to double the number of destinations offered by the end of the year compared with the 29 we operated in January 2022, and we are on course to achieving that.”<br/>He says that Cathay will increase the number of flights across its network, with popular destinations like Japan – which recently also reopened its borders – and the UK seeing an uptick in flights. The airline carried close to 266,000 passengers in September: a two-fold increase year on year but still a far cry from pre-pandemic 2019, at just 11%. Traffic and capacity both stood at about 16% pre-pandemic levels too, but improved significantly compared to 2021. Lam says that student travel – from both Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to the UK and USA – were key in driving up traffic numbers. “Demand for student travel to the US tapered down from the second week of September, but this was balanced by growing demand among UK-bound student traffic,” he states. More significantly, the airline says inbound traffic results have improved following the easing of curbs. “The removal of hotel quarantine arrangements for passengers arriving in Hong Kong was a very welcome development that has helped boost sentiment for travel. In the last week of September, we saw a considerable increase in demand for flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul,” Lam states. <br/>