FORT WORTH- American Airlines (AA) has disciplined several flight attendants for offering incentives to fellow crew members in exchange for trip pickups. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) says the move breaks long-standing rules and undermines due process.
In Chicago (ORD), crew were informed that posting a trip with incentives to drop or trade resulted in the “absolute worst outcome available” — termination without progressive discipline. The union has filed a formal Notice of Dispute, arguing the company failed to apply the just cause standard.
Representative Photo: American AirlinesAmerican Airlines Attendant Dispute
According to the APFA, American Airlines’ Attendance and Performance Policy requires progressive discipline, meaning corrective steps should be taken before termination unless the infraction is so severe it justifies immediate dismissal.
The union argues that offering incentives for trip coverage does not meet that threshold.
Flight attendants say the company skipped the progressive steps altogether. Instead of warnings or suspensions, some crew members were withheld from service or dismissed outright.
The APFA’s Notice of Dispute highlights that this practice contradicts the binding Arbitration Award from February 2020, which reaffirmed the importance of individualized review and discretion when applying discipline.
The dispute is not limited to trip trading. The union also alleges the airline has started tracking “patterns” in sick leave usage and questioning employees about their health. Crew members were reminded that they are not obligated to disclose personal medical details to the airline.
The APFA views this as a move to discourage the use of sick leave, a practice already challenged at other airlines.
United Airlines (UA) faced a Department of Labor investigation for similar tactics under the Biden administration. Critics argue that these measures may unfairly target senior, higher-paid crew members in favor of new hires, View from the Wing reported.
Photo: American AirlinesTrip Trading Practices
American Airlines has long struggled with regulating informal markets for trip trades. While no U.S. airline formally allows buying or selling trips, enforcement has varied. Historically, some attendants used coded language in internal forums to offer payment or favors for trip coverage.
The company previously cracked down on a group dubbed “the Cartel,” which allegedly controlled a closed marketplace for trip trading.
Now, the recent enforcement at ORD suggests management is taking a harder stance, applying uniform penalties for what had often been tolerated as gray-area behavior.
The Seniority Debate
At the heart of the issue is seniority. Flight attendants earn their place on the list through years of service, which dictates access to preferred trips. Some argue that monetizing seniority through trades or incentives is a natural extension of that system.
Supporters of this view say it allows supply and demand to work efficiently: senior crew who value time off can exchange trips for compensation, while junior crew who want more hours or premium trips can step in. Both sides benefit, and the airline ensures schedule coverage.
The downside is resentment within the ranks. Critics claim it deepens inequality, but as the union notes, inequality already exists in the seniority system. Monetary incentives simply expose the value embedded in that structure.
Outlook and Next Steps
The APFA has formally requested a Dispute Resolution Conference (DRC) to address the issue. The union is seeking a reversal of recent disciplinary actions and a reaffirmation of the just cause principle.
For now, the outcome remains uncertain. What is clear is that this case marks one of the first major tests of the balance between company policy enforcement and union protections in American Airlines’ post-merger era.
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