American Opposes Pilots on China Flights

American Airlines has rebuffed a demand by its pilots' union to immediately negotiate terms of the carrier's proposed service between Dallas and China.

Union leaders want concessions on the length of workdays and other items in exchange for supporting the airline's bid to the U.S. Transportation Department for the China route.

On Tuesday, the company made a counterproposal to the Allied Pilots Association, asking that most of the union's requests be discussed instead during regular negotiations on the pilots contract, which are in their early stages.

Sue Gordon, a spokeswoman for American, said the union sought concessions that were unrelated to the China route and would have ripple effects on other contracts and airline operations.

Gordon said the union should cooperate with the company over the China bid because both would gain if the government picks American over three other airlines. Winning the route to the large and growing Chinese market would allow for job growth at American, she said.

Union officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., is bidding against Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp., and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines to offer several new weekly nonstop flights to China.

At American, the union wants a side agreement before its members fly the 16-hour flights between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Beijing. The two sides reached a deal before American started service between Chicago and New Delhi last year.

This month, the pilots' union gave American a proposal that included starting the pilot's workday upon signing in for duty and letting pilots fill otherwise empty cabin jumpseats.

Union leaders called them 'no-cost items,' but airline officials say workday changes could increase American's labor costs.

American and the pilots' union recently started talks on a new contract to replace a 2003 agreement that included wage and benefit cuts. Pilots approved the concessions because the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.

That contract runs until May 1, 2008.

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