April 2010 Business Meeting

The April 2010 Business meeting for IAM LL731 will be held Tuesday, April 13, 7pm at the Union Hall, 277 Tallulah Ave, Jacksonville, FL, 32208. Please click on Maps & Directions on how to reach the hall. If you arrive before 7pm please be respectful and wait in the outer lobby for the Executive Board to finish their meeting.

Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association Opposes Delta/USAirways Slot Swap Proposal

Mon Apr 5, 11:12 am ET

DALLAS, April 5 –

Unprecedented agreement would shut out low fares in New York and Washington, D.C.

DALLAS, April 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association is pushing for the Department of Transportation to disallow the permanent exchange of several hundred slots between Delta Airlines and USAirways at LaGuardia (LGA) and Washington National (DCA) Airports. This unprecedented anti-competitive deal would create hubs dominated by Delta at LGA and USAirways at DCA, giving them unchecked market and pricing power.

US Airways Starts Tarmac Delay Response Early

Mon Apr 5, 4:02 pm ET

TEMPE, Ariz. – US Airways is getting an early start in dealing with new rules requiring airlines to let passengers off the plane after a three-hour delay.

The new rule starting April 29 means airlines risk big fines if they keep passengers on the tarmac more than three hours. To keep that from happening, US Airways says its flights will return to the gate after two-and-a-half hours, unless takeoff is imminent. It says it began following its new procedures on Thursday.

The airline says it expects more cancellations as crews who return to the gate run up against federal rules limiting how long they can fly.

United, Brussels Airlines Reach Sales Agreement

United, Brussels Air reach codeshare agreement to sell tickets on 1 another's routes

On Thursday April 1, 2010, 6:17 pm EDT

CHICAGO (AP) -- United Airlines said Thursday that a new sales agreement with Brussels Airlines will give United customers new connections to cities in Europe and Africa.

The flights, which begin Monday, add to nonstop service between Chicago and Brussels that United launched March 28, the airline said.

United customers may now purchase tickets on flights operated by Brussels Airlines between Brussels and 24 destinations in Europe 12 in Africa. Some African markets are subject to government approval.

Southwest Airlines' Partnership with WestJet May be on Skids

07:23 AM CDT on Friday, April 2, 2010

By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
tmaxon@dallasnews.com

Southwest Airlines Co. said Thursday that its partnership with WestJet Airlines Ltd. is in jeopardy because the Canadian carrier also wants to partner with Delta Air Lines Inc.

The dispute is a setback for the Dallas-based carrier's efforts to begin offering international service through other airlines.

Delta and WestJet have both said recently that WestJet may start a code-sharing arrangement with Delta. Southwest said the Delta-WestJet linkup "could be inconsistent with the agreement presently in place between Southwest and WestJet."

Passengers Pushed to the Limit by Airlines' Increased Baggage Fees

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO US AIRWAYS, LEFT, CHARGE $25 FOR THE FIRST BAG, $35 FOR A SECOND.

Sunday, April 4, 2010
Last updated: Sunday April 4, 2010, 12:03 PM

BY NANCY TREJOS
Wire Service
THE WASHINGTON POST

When she heard how much US Airways was going to charge to check her suitcase for a recent flight to Houston from Washington, D.C., Mary Barber took drastic action.

Got a bag weighing more than 50 pounds? That's $50 extra to fly American Airlines. At the check-in counter agent's suggestion, Barber ran into a store at the Reagan National terminal and snapped up a neon-green nylon bag on sale for $6. She stuffed what she could from her suitcase into it. The remainder went into a cloth Whole Foods tote she had packed in her bag.

Branson Tells Brussels to Block BA Tie-up Deal with American Airlines

Sir Richard Branson is to demand that the European Commission overrules a tie-up deal between British Airways and American Airlines which would see them controlling more than 60pc of lucrative flight slots between Heathrow and the United States.

By Kamal Ahmed
Published: 10:38PM BST 03 Apr 2010

Virgin Atlantic will present fresh evidence to the Commission this week following a ruling by the US Department of Transportation that the alliance between BA and AA should be given anti-trust immunity.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Sir Richard said that the "unholy alliance" between the two leading carriers would mean increased fares and less competition. "Inevitably when people control 60pc-70pc of a market they can pretty well charge what they want," Sir Richard said.

Proposed Jacksonville Fire Cuts Include Layoffs, Downsizing Stations

Posted: April 2, 2010 - 5:37pm
By Matt Galnor

Without concessions from the Jacksonville firefighters union, city leaders say they'll have to lay off more than 40 firefighters and pull engines from four fire stations, city records show.

Fire Chief Dan Kleman said he doesn't recommend the moves but was asked by Mayor John Peyton's office to provide a list of $4.8 million in cuts.

Not coincidentally, that figure is how much the city would save if the union agreed to take a 3 percent salary cut, freeze tenure-based raises and assume a greater chunk of health insurance costs.

STOP UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK ON TEACHERS AND STUDENTS!

Florida’s parents have long voiced serious concerns over the over-reliance on the FCAT and other standardized tools in our education system because this “one size fits all approach” often leaves many students behind. Over the years, we have forced our children into tighter and tighter boxes ignoring the fact that every student is special and that there are many approaches that can be employed by our teachers to maximize each student’s potential.

Obama Lauds Passage of Education Reform

(Credit: CBS)


March 30, 2010 11:53 AM
Posted by Brian Montopoli

President Obama signed the health care reconciliation bill into law Tuesday morning, taking the opportunity to focus not on health care reform but on the other major element of the legislation: education reform.


Mr. Obama hailed passage of education reforms that he said are "finally making our student loan system work for students and our families."