Patty Davis: The Comair pilot strike

Patty Davis

Patty Davis is a general assignment correspondent out of CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau.

CNN Moderator: How many passengers have been affected by the flights canceled due to the strike? For how long can we expect Comair to keep canceling flights?

Patty Davis: Comair flies about 25,000 passengers a day. I would anticipate that's how many were rescheduled today on other airlines, including Delta Airlines (Comair's parent) and other competitor airlines. Comair has said it would make the decision on flight cancellations day by day. It is hoping each day to reach a settlement and be able to fly the next day. But obviously, with no pilots there are no flights.

FLIGHT ADVICE: Comair suggests passengers take several steps to minimize disruption of travel: Check the status of your flight before arriving at the airport. Call Comair reservations at 1-800-354-9822 or visit www.comair.com. Make sure your travel reservation includes telephone contacts both at departure and arrival cities, as well as your cell phone number if possible. Convert your E-ticket to paper through your travel agent, at a Delta city ticket office or any other Delta ticketing location. If your flight is canceled, go directly to Delta, Delta Shuttle, Delta Express or other Delta Connection carriers for re-accommodation.   REACTION Click for news releases from Comair and the Air Line Pilots Association     RELATED STORY More labor pains for Delta as Comair pilots walk out     MESSAGE BOARD Share your thoughts on the strike

Question from chat room: Why did Comair management walk out of the talks when there was still time left to talk?

Patty Davis: Comair management claims it did not walk out of the talks. It said on Sunday it was meeting with the union and the union had no counter-proposal to Comair's 40 percent wage increase proposal. So, there was little to talk about. But Comair says the national mediation board escorted Comair officials out of the negotiating room and into their own room. They say they did not walk out of the talks. The union, management says, was not willing to compromise. The union, of course, says Comair did indeed end those talks and says they are bitterly disappointed.

CNN Moderator: What areas of the country have been or will be most affected by this strike?

Patty Davis: Comair flies to 95 cities, including the Bahamas, outside the U.S. And since it's a feeder airline for Delta Airlines, it brings large numbers of people to bigger cities for Delta. But Delta is trying to re-book many of those passengers on Delta flights and other airline flights. This is to keep it from being a disruption. What you could see is it will be harder in smaller cities to get a flight out, so there will be fewer airplanes, even of competitors, to take passengers in Comair's absence.

CNN Moderator: How many hours does a starting pilot fly?

Patty Davis: Good question. I don't know how many hours they have to work. I can tell you the pilot's union says the hours these pilots are working in general is way out of line. Union officials say, in some cases, pilots are forced to work eighteen hours in a row. They are saying that's a safety problem and want change in work rules so that they are treated like pilots for major airlines as far as hours are concerned.

Question from chat room: Why won't Bush intervene like he did with the striking mechanics?

Patty Davis: Good question. The White House says it must have a recommendation to intervene by the National Mediation Board, or NMB. The NMB is responsible for telling the President whether or not there would be severe economic damage from a strike like this. A White House spokesperson says he does not expect the NMB to make a recommendation for intervention in this strike. And the spokesperson adds that without the recommendation from the NMB, "The president's hands are tied." The NMB did recommend President Bush stop a strike by Northwest mechanics earlier this month. In that case, the NMB concluded that the damage to the economy would have been severe. This is a smaller airline, a regional airline, and that may be why the NMB is not acting in this case.

CNN Moderator: What needs to happen for the talks to get back on track and the issues resolved? What is the timetable?

Patty Davis: Both sides say they want to return to the bargaining table, and would do so at any time. There seems to be little interest, though, by either side in making the first move. They both have pretty set positions. They are at each other's throats and it looks as if this is not likely to end soon.

Question from chat room: Patty do you see others walking out also?

Patty Davis: At least at Comair, it doesn't look like other employees will be walking out. However, there are strike threats at other airlines that could make it a really rough Spring for air travelers. Next up is Delta Airlines (Comair's parent). The NMB has offered binding arbitration. The company has accepted, but the union has not weighed in yet. If the union rejects arbitration then a 30-day cooling off period begins. At the end of that time, it can strike. American is having labor problems. So is United. And by spring and summer, all these disputes could come to a head.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today

Patty Davis: Thank you for logging onto CNN. I enjoyed chatting with you today.

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Pilots' strike grounds Comair flights
March 26, 2001

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