Eagle Flights From RDU in Jeopardy, Pilots Say

By Dudley Price, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

Dec. 14–About a third of American Eagle’s flights at Raleigh-Durham International Airport could be grounded if American Airlines sells its commuter subsidiary, the company’s pilots union said Thursday.

The flights in jeopardy are nonstops to mostly smaller cities such as Columbus, Ohio, and Louisville, Ky., though service to bustling Newark, N.J., might be cut, too.

“Unfortunately, Raleigh-Durham may be left out of some service,” said union spokesman Capt. Brian Sweep.

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the carrier, said it was too early to predict changes. She said Eagle would continue to provide American with regional feeder service “comparable to that provided prior to the separation.”

Late last month, AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, announced plans to sell or spin off Eagle next year. Investors have been pressing AMR to sell the carrier to raise cash and help to lift AMR’s stock price. No buyers have surfaced for Eagle, which, with American, is RDU’s busiest carrier. Eagle has 49 daily departures from RDU to 12 destinations.

After the spinoff was announced, aviation experts predicted few changes at RDU.

But Sweep said 17 Eagle flights might be cut, because the contract between AMR and American’s pilots allows only AMR subsidiaries to operate flights between airports that aren’t hubs.

If Eagle were sold, Eagle’s flights from RDU to Hartford, Conn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Bentonville, Ark., Columbus, Louisville and Newark could be prohibited.

Popular Eagle flights from RDU to Boston, New York-Kennedy, New York-LaGuardia, St. Louis and Washington National most likely would not be affected.

Of the Eagle flights that Sweep considers in jeopardy, only Bentonville, Louisville, Columbus and Hartford aren’t served nonstop by another carrier from RDU. ExpressJet has flights to Kansas City and Jacksonville, and Continental serves its Newark hub nonstop from RDU.

The pilot’s union has not taken a position on the proposed sale, but Sweep said it has “grave concerns” that it could lead to cuts in pilots and the salaries they are paid.

Doug Abbey, a principal in the Velocity Group, a Washington aviation consulting firm, said Eagle might not find a buyer, or the union contract could be renegotiated to permit existing flights to continue.

“You may be losing some competition in those secondary markets … but it’s not a given at all,” he said.

dudley.price@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4525

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