ALPA's Communications Department provides information and support for news media inquiries. An ALPA communications representative can be reached in the Herndon, Va. office at (703) 481-4440.

News Release

Release #03.030
March 31, 2003

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The pilots of American Eagle, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), have retained the Dallas legal firm Strasburger & Price, LLP, to represent the Eagle pilots as American Airlines’ bankruptcy looms on the horizon.

"Although last week when we retained the counsel of Strasburger & Price, we were not aware of any specific information that our parent company of AMR was going to file for bankruptcy, we knew that the time had come to be prepared for any eventuality, said First Officer Dave Ryter, vice-chairman of the American Eagle pilots’ Master Executive Council, a unit of ALPA.

"It is an awkward situation to be protecting ourselves from the concessionary bargaining of the Allied Pilots Association while simultaneously insulating ourselves from the effects of a potential bankruptcy filing," said First Officer Ryter. "We are in touch with American Eagle management and have requested an immediate meeting to ensure that the interests of the American Eagle pilots are represented in any further discussions," he said.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s oldest and largest pilot union, representing 66,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, including approximately 2,600 American Eagle pilots. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org.

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ALPA CONTACT: Miles Wiley, (703) 481-4440