U.S. Airways pilots battle company over fuel
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Source: NBC
Published Thu Jul 17, 2008, 02:45 PM MDT
Updated Thu Jul 17, 2008, 02:45 PM MDT
At a time when it seems like airlines are cutting back on almost everything else, pilots for US Airways now say they're being pressured to load less fuel on their aircraft.
It's a serious accusation, and one US Airways says is being misinterpreted.
In a full page ad in USA Today, the Pilots' Union claims some captains have been sent to special training sessions after failing to comply with management requests to reduce fuel levels.
"You know there is certain things you can cut, peanuts are one thing, but the amount of fuel the captain feels is necessary to keep him comfortable, that's a completely different issue," said Captain James Ray, the spokesman for the US Airline Pilots Association.
US Airways says there is no issue at all, insisting it always loads enough fuel to allow for weather or other delays, and that the problem was with only eight pilots who were "adding fuel to their dispatched fuel loads much more frequently than their peers."
The airline says those pilots were asked to meet with the training department to better understand their experiences.
The Pilots' Union sees things differently.
"It's intimidation," Ray said. "What you don't want is a pilot who is trying to use his better judgment and thinks we need more fuel but then says you know, I don't want to get myself in trouble so he leaves it off."
In the end, what is left behind is more turbulence in an industry already struggling to stay afloat, and more worries for millions of passengers now wondering how much worse things can get.
