Trade unions representing American cabin crew and pilots have backed US airlines in their efforts to curb competition from Arabian Gulf carriers in a rare alliance between groups that were until recently bitterly divided over benefits and work culture.
The detente is a case of a daunting external rival forcing local factions to set aside their differences and unite against a common enemy. This time, however, they have the actress Nicole Kidman in their sights.
Three big US airlines allege that Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways have enjoyed unfair financial benefits to the value of US$42 billion over the past decade, in contravention of the rules of open skies.
In an effort to win the regulators’ support for a revision of the agreement, the carriers Delta, United and American Airlines released a 55-page document detailing allegations of unfair government subsidies and other financial incentives that they claim are in breach of open skies.
About half a dozen unions, including the Allied Pilots Association and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (Apfa) are part of the group, known as the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, behind the report.
Earlier this month, Laura Glading, the president of Apfa, criticised Kidman over her role in an Etihad advertisement campaign launched last month.
Ms Glading wrote in an open letter to Kidman: “We saw that you had begun appearing in a new campaign for Etihad, a company that The Wall Street Journal has publicly reported ‘may fire women if they become pregnant’ and forces flight attendants to live in ‘confinement’ in ‘secure compounds’. These are the types of conditions that Apfa fought to eradicate decades ago in the United States.”
Not only have the Gulf airlines vehemently denied the subsidy allegations, but Etihad has refuted Ms Glading’s criticism over working conditions.
“When a cabin crew member informs Etihad of a pregnancy, she is provided with appropriate ground duties for the duration of their pregnancy. During this time, she remains fully compensated and fully engaged on the ground,” Etihad said. “Cabin crew are also entitled to paid maternity leave if they have completed more than one year’s service. Our cabin crew are then able to return to their flying role at the end of their maternity leave period.”
Not long ago, the unions representing pilots and flight attendants affected by the merger of US Airways and American Airlines – now operating as American Airlines – were locked in lengthy and difficult negotiations with management to ensure equal terms for employees of both airlines.
A 2013 article on the Forbes website said: “The mistrust that labour harbours for American Airlines management is a feud with a history filled with a powerful vitriol that only duplicitous behaviour engenders”.
In January, members of the Allied Pilots Association finally approved a joint contract, drawing to a close an almost decade-long era during which pilots were at odds with their managements as they went through a bankruptcy and the subsequent merger. They now enjoy “industry-leading pay rates” according to the boss of the union, Keith Wilson. In December, Apfa, which represents about 25,000 flight attendants, secured across-the-board pay rises from American Airlines management.
“Today’s announcement is the beginning of a new chapter,” the union said.
That chapter includes, it seems, helping its airline to protect itself from foreign competitors.
Last month, in a joint statement from all the unions in the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, the chief executives of American companies were alerted to the “very serious economic threat” posed by the three Gulf carriers.
The aviation unions said that they wanted to freeze the allocation of additional US capacity and ultimately have their government address their concerns directly with the UAE and Qatar.
This week the US government said it would review the allegations against the Gulf carriers. Three US government departments – state, commerce and transportation – issued a joint statement calling for interested parties in the dispute to submit comments for consideration by an “open forum”. The review is expected to begin at the end of next month.
It is clear that the campaign against the three Gulf carriers ultimately stems from the US aviation industry’s lack of competitiveness, says Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
“US airlines fail to either compete head to head or they cannot break free from the debt and financial strangulations that expose their fragile and inefficient operating models as being incompatible for today’s air travel market,” he says.
“With respect to the flight attendants, there is very little substance to their critique. They are scared of losing potential talent to Gulf airlines, yet do nothing about raising their own bar so that they wouldn’t have this fear.”
selgazzar@thenational.ae
