This comes after over 30,000 workers with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) rejected a contract renewal with the company and went on strike last week.

The furloughs were anticipated earlier this week as the aerospace giant attempts to stop the financial bleeding caused by the strike. A Bloomberg Intelligence analysis predicted Monday that Boeing could be out $3.5 billion in cash in the third quarter if the strike continues through September.

• READ MORE: Boeing Freezes Hiring, Considers Furloughs as Strike Could Cost $3.5 Billion

In a memo sent to employees on Wednesday by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, workers were notified that production was paused across many key programs in the Pacific Northwest due to the strike.

“… [O]ur business faces substantial challenges, and it is important that we take difficult steps to preserve cash and ensure that Boeing is able to successfully recover,” Ortberg said in the memo. “As part of this effort, we are initiating temporary furloughs over the coming days that will impact a large number of U.S.-based executives, managers, and employees.”

• READ MORE: Boeing Machinists Reject New Contract, Go on Strike

Ortberg stated that all benefits will continue for affected employees. The company is planning for selected employees to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike.

Along with these steps, Ortberg said that he and his leadership team will take pay cuts for as long as the strike lasts. Ortberg is currently one of Washington state’s highest-paid CEOs. The Seattle Times reports his compensation package could reach $22 million in 2025.

He did not specify in the memo how much his pay will be reduced during the strike.

“Most important, we won’t take any actions that inhibit our ability to fully recover in the future,” Ortberg said. “All activities critical to our safety, quality, customer support, and key certification programs will be prioritized and continue, including 787 production.”

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‘Send a Strong Message to Management’

ALPA explained in its statement ahead of the demonstration that its goal is “to send a strong message to airline management across the country.” According to the union, the message is this: “It’s time to address their operational problems and prioritize passengers, pilots, and other frontline workers who made extraordinary sacrifices during the pandemic.”

Off-duty pilots from Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), Endeavor, JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU), Sun Country (NASDAQ: SNCY), Spirit (NYSE: SAVE), and United (NASDAQ: UAL) lined up to participate in the picketing and were only allowed to carry union-approved signs. Placards read, “airlines must do better for all” and “ready to strike.”

Thank you @RepBillFoster for supporting @UnitedPilots @ALPAPilots and all working people. It’s great to know we have support for #LaborRights and making our voice heard. https://t.co/5shUuHkFlu

— Paul Ryder (@PaulDRyder) September 1, 2022

Federal regulations prohibit airline pilots from easily going on strike, which explains why off-duty pilots led the picket sessions. Negotiations around salaries and benefits often take time. The union and off-duty pilots use picketing campaigns to drive public awareness of their concerns and to pressure airline management.

On the East Coast, pilots gathered at airports in Boston (KBOS), New York (KJFK), Washington D.C. (KDCA), Atlanta (KATL), and Orlando (KMCO). In the Midwest, they lined up in Minneapolis (KMSP), Chicago (KORD), and Detroit (KDTW). Finally, out West, they gathered in Seattle (KSEA), San Francisco (KSFO), Salt Lake City (KSLC), Las Vegas (KLAS), and Los Angeles (KLAX).

“When ALPA pilots stand shoulder to shoulder in support of shared goals, people notice—our airlines notice,” ALPA said in a statement. The union welcomed many off-duty ALPA pilots to join the informational picketing campaign. It said its goal was to communicate to the “public, our lawmakers, and our airlines that all airline pilots stand together in support of the profession-wide goal of improved working conditions and benefits.”

• READ MORE: JetBlue Agrees To Buy Spirit in $3.8 Billion Deal

Slow Contract Negotiations Are Frustrating Pilots

Ahead of the campaign, Delta’s ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) representative Capt. Jason Ambrosi complained in a statement that his airline wasn’t ready to support the rush of travelers as travel rebounded, but pilots “stepped up to fly historic levels of overtime so our customers could return to the skies.” To that end, Ambrosi urged Delta’s management to come to the negotiating table to close out contract negotiations that began in April 2019. This was the third time that Delta pilots have picketed to negotiate their contracts this year.

“Contemplating a strike is not something we take lightly, and we can achieve the industry-leading contract that we’ve waited more than three years to achieve. The ball is in Delta management’s court right now,” Ambrosi said.  

His sentiments were shared by MECs from JetBlue, United, and Spirit, who all communicated that they desired better compensation.

“ALPA pilots delivered during the pandemic, and now it’s time for airlines to deliver for us,” the union said. “The contributions of pilots and other crew members across the U.S. kept supply chains moving and transported life-saving medical equipment, personnel, and vaccines to places they were most needed. It’s time for management to prioritize passengers and pilots—and invest in the people who keep our country moving,” ALPA president, Capt. Joe DePete said.

• READ MORE: ExpressJet Files Bankruptcy, Furloughs 1,300 Pilots

Some Pilots Have Made Progress

So far this summer, ALPA has worked with pilots it represents at Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines to secure significant pay upgrades that, at the time, promised to lead the regional sector in pay. Then, last week, Mesa Airlines, represented by ALPA, leapfrogged those airlines to secure the top spot with regard to pilot pay.

“This week’s agreement reflects an overall hourly rate pay increase of nearly 118 percent for first-year captains and 172 percent for new-hire first officers,” ALPA said in the announcement.

• READ MORE: Air Wisconsin Partners With American Airlines in New Five-Year Deal

NOW AVAILABLE

Our new Airline Customer Service Dashboard gives air travelers transparency on which airlines will take care of you by providing food vouchers or a hotel overnight if your flight is delayed or canceled because of the airline. https://t.co/OINlfanjJP pic.twitter.com/Qmjcxz5HoR

— TransportationGov (@USDOT) September 1, 2022

Travel Disruptions a Big Factor

The union said its pilots are also disgruntled over the operational problems that have caused significant delays and cancellations. Before the July 4th weekend, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg chimed in to encourage airlines to do all they could to mitigate travel disruption. He also said that the DOT would hold airlines accountable for not taking care of passengers fully amid disruptions. To that end, the DOT launched its new Airline Customer Service Dashboard yesterday.

The department said it would “ensure the traveling public has easy access to information about services that U.S. airlines provide to mitigate passenger inconveniences when the cause of a cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.”

Reuters reported in August that airline flight cancellations this year have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with more than 128,934 flights canceled from January to July of this year. 

That’s 11 percent more cancellations than during the same period in 2019 when travel was last operating at “normal” travel conditions. The Bureau of Transportation also confirms this trend, reporting that from January to June, there were more than 100,000 canceled airline flights. 

As far as the union is concerned, DePete points the finger at airline management. In his statement, he said, “Unfortunately, some airlines squandered the opportunity to plan for post-pandemic flying adequately, and the result has been unprecedented flight delays and cancellations.”

The post Airline Pilots Picket Nationwide Ahead of Holiday Weekend appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Laser strikes have increased to a “dangerously high rate” at airports across the U.S., according to federal aviation authorities, putting pilots in cockpits of aircraft from wide-body airlines to Cessnas potentially at risk.

In 2020, at least 6,852 laser incidents were reported by pilots, representing a nearly 12% increase in the span of a year despite a decrease in flight traffic brought on by the COVID pandemic, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In the past decade, laser incidents have jumped 148% in the U.S. and have been responsible for at least 198 reported injuries, according to FAA data.

“Pointing a laser at an aircraft can temporarily blind a pilot and not only affects the crew but endangers passengers and the communities they fly over every night,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a recent statement.

It’s also a federal offense. Trying to tag an aircraft with a hand-held laser is a federal crime under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, carrying a penalty of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple violations.

While the hand-held nature of laser strikes means they are often difficult to prosecute, the FAA has had some success. Since 2016, the FAA has collected $600,000 in fines, including at least $120,000 in fines issued in 2021.

When pilots see a laser, their attention is drawn to it, said airline pilot Keith Wolzinger. “The next thing you know, you’re taking it straight in the eye. That’s when the damage occurs, and it doesn’t take very long exposure to that for that to happen.

“We naturally want to look at it, but we have to train ourselves to look away.”

That potential risk is universal, he said. “Laser strikes occur at low altitude near the airports, and [general aviation] GA pilots, helicopter pilots, everybody is subject to the same issues,” he said.

Many laser strike incidents occur during landing, and they’re always at night. According to FAA data, more incidents were reported on Saturdays compared to other days of the week. Almost a quarter of reported incidents have occurred at or below 3,000 feet above ground level.

“It definitely can have a major negative effect on pilots, especially in the critical phase of flight during landings,” said Murray Huling, vice president of government affairs for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

“What people need to consider is when that laser hits the windshield of that aircraft, it actually acts like a prism and it can light up the whole cockpit. It can get both pilots,” he said. “Even if it doesn’t hit them directly in the eyes, it’s a flash when they have to be very visually acute during landing.”

“It could lead to a catastrophic event,” Huling said.

According to the FAA, no aircraft accidents have been directly attributed to laser strikes.

They could, however, be a contributing factor in an accident, said Huling, who also has nearly two decades of experience working at the FAA, including running a field office which received some laser strike reports.

“It’s never one thing” that causes an incident, Huling said. “A laser incident like this, you don’t know if that’s going to be the first link in the chain, middle link in the chain or the last link of the chain that causes it.”

The increases in laser strike reports stems from a number of factors, according to the FAA, and include:

• An abundance of inexpensive laser devices available for purchase online and in stores
• Stronger power levels that enable lasers to reach aircraft at higher altitudes
• Proliferation of green lasers, which are more visible to the human eye
• Increased awareness by pilots who are reporting incidents

Some of those behind laser strikes just aren’t aware of the impact of their actions, according to Huling. “It could be younger teens, children who are doing it,” he said. “There’s also malicious intent.”

Safety Measures for Pilots

While pilots are vulnerable to the actions of those pointing lasers, there are some options available to help mitigate the impact of the light beams.

Laser protective safety glasses can filter out green and blue, the most common colors of lasers used during incidents, Huling said. Wearing the safety glasses, however, can create additional challenges in the cockpit.

“The pilots have to have awareness when they wear those,” Huling said, particularly if they’re flying in an aircraft equipped with advanced avionics.

“When they wear these laser glasses, it actually can change the colors that they’re seeing on their instrument displays. Those colors, in some cases, signify terrain,” Huling said.

The FAA has a website devoted to the hazards, and how to report incidents. Aviation industry groups also disseminate information to their members. Communication campaigns highlighting the dangers, however, aren’t reaching those behind the incidents, Huling said.

“Obviously, the communications that have been going out of the FAA and through industry, they haven’t worked thus far to reduce the number of laser incidents,” he said.

“I’m pretty positive that no pilots are out there pointing lasers,” Huling said. “It’s the general public that’s doing this.”

Have you ever been the victim of a laser strike while in the cockpit? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

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