American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) has announced plans to transfer fifty of its Envoy Air (MQ, Dallas/Fort Worth) subsidiary's fleet of 118 E145s to other American Eagle operators. In a letter to Envoy employees seen by the Dallas News, senior vice president Kenji Hashimoto said that at least 20 of the Embraer 145 jets will go to AA's subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines (PT, Salisbury, MD), at least 15 will go to Trans States Airlines (St. Louis Lambert International), and the rest to go to another carrier to be named later.
“This transfer is solely driven by forecasts showing an insufficient number of pilots at Envoy in 2015 to operate our planned schedule. Envoy continues to provide reliable service, its employees serve our customers well and the company remains an important part of American Airlines Group,” Hashimoto said in his letter.
The transfer will begin in March of next year with two aircraft a month to Trans States Airlines and the other, unnamed carrier. The other twenty will begin moving to Piedmont in 2016.
In mid-2015, American will begin sending Envoy’s fleet of forty-seven CRJ700s to PSA Airlines (OH, Dayton James M. Cox) at the rate of two per month.
Envoy's impasse with American began last year when a majority of Envoy's 2'700 pilots rejected a proposed new 10 year labour contract which would have frozen pay scales until 2018, eliminated profit-sharing and increased healthcare costs. In return, American would have committed its incoming fleet of E175s to the carrier (which have now gone to Compass Airlines (United States of America)) while at the same time assuring American Eagle Airlines (as Envoy was then known) pilots of improved progression opportunities to the mainline American Airlines' fleet.
An attempt at reviving talks between Envoy's pilot union and American in August collapsed when neither party was able to reach an agreement.
