American Airlines Group pilot executives have rejected efforts to join the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), according to Dennis Tajer, a union representative for the airline's aviators. The Allied Pilots Association (APA) board of directors fell short of the two-thirds majority required to begin merger discussions with ALPA, the world's largest pilots' union, which recently joined forces with aviators at Air Canada.
Pilots at North American airlines are benefiting from new contracts as travel recovers from the epidemic. Allied, which secured a tentative agreement last month that increases compensation by 21% in 2023, agreed in November to form a merger committee to consider a merger with fast-growing ALPA.
The AA Pilots for ALPA group, which advocated a merger, issued a statement saying it was disappointed by the APA board of directors' decision on Thursday afternoon.