Piedmont Airlines (PT, Salisbury, MD) pilots have voted to ratify amendments to their current contracts with the carrier which includes plans to refleet the airline as well as guaranteed opportunities for Piedmont pilots with the airline’s parent company, American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth).
“With much of our fleet of Dash 8s nearing replacement age, we needed to look long term as to what was best for the pilots on the property now, and what would provide career options for pilots just joining Piedmont,” said Capt. Bruce Freedman, chairman of the Piedmont unit of ALPA.
Under the modified agreement, Piedmont pilots can now take advantage of a seniority-based flow-through procedure to fly at American Airlines, and pilots have secured flying at Piedmont by obtaining minimum fleet commitments. In exchange, Piedmont pilots agreed to increase their share of medical premium payments and, over time, revise pay scales to reflect more commonly used industry approaches.
Piedmont CEO Steve Farrow added that the agreement would pave the way for the airline to begin re-equipping its current fleet of 32 Dash 8-100s and eleven Dash 8-300s with regional jets.
"With this foundation, we are beginning the process of preparing Piedmont for re-fleeting with regional jets. We have already started working with a consultant to add RJs to our certificate. I will share more information on the process in the weeks and months to come," he told employees in an open letter.
Piedmont is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group operating nearly 440 daily flights to 55 cities throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
