American Airlines pilots raise concerns over new cockpit protocols

The union representing 15,000 American Airlines pilots has voiced concerns regarding the new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline, without adequate training.

The carrier on Tuesday implemented new procedures for cockpit communications during critical events such as low visibility landings, according to the union.

"The operational changes that management is attempting to implement without fulsome training alters how pilots communicate, coordinate, and execute flight safety duties at some of the most high-threat times of flight," Allied Pilots Association (APA) said in a post on Monday.

The changes were imposed over a bulletin, according to the union. "This attempt to train by bulletin, while ignoring serious safety concerns and well-established best practices, runs the risk of dramatically eroding margins of safety," it added.

American said, in an emailed statement to Reuters, "these changes represent industry best practice and ensure improved crew coordination and consistency across fleet types so that our pilots can easily transition across different aircraft if they choose."

"These updates have been underway since 2021 and have been a coordinated effort with APA's Training Committee," the airline said, adding that the approach to familiarizing pilots has been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.