The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 995
20 August 2018
60 Secs of Summer
Spilling the beans as a vegetarian
UNION SLAMS SOUTHERN DEAL
P
ilots at Southern Air have ratified a Letter of Agreement (LOA) to improve working conditions and wages, but unions say workplace issues still need to be resolved. The LOA was voted on from 25 July to 9 August and ratified by Southern Air members by a 94.76 per cent margin will raise some standards at Southern Air to be on a par with those of pilots at Atlas Air, but the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224 says Atlas Air pilots are working under a “substandard” contract imposed on them by an arbitrator. The union says Atlas pilots also remain locked in “acrimonious” negotiations, and while Southern’s LOA is an improvement
ACS scores in first half of 2018
from the wages and provisions imposed during bankruptcy in 2012, pilots say it does not go far enough and the implementation will be too slow. Pilots have been working under a contract imposed in 2012 while Southern Air was in bankruptcy, and the union says the airline, which flies for DHL, has been unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of pilots to sustain operations. APA Teamsters Local 1224 Southern Air executive council chairman and veteran Southern Air pilot, Captain Bryan Holmberg says pilots have been “operating under one of the worst contracts in the industry” for too long. He says: “While the Southern agreement no longer stands alone as the worst,
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we are on par with our Atlas brothers and sisters, joining them in what is now the low-bar agreement in the industry. “The company still has a long way to go until it will be able to end the rapid turnover and have the capability to attract the new hire pilots we need to meet growing customer demands.” The pilots union warns that problems at Atlas Air prove there is still a long way to go, as numerous flights have been cancelled even though many pilots have been asked to fly on their off days. They also warn that attracting and retaining pilots continues to be a major issue, with Atlas Air hiring 311 pilots in the first half of 2018 but only managing to grow by 160 pilots.
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IAG Cargo fights diphtheria
Following the outbreak of diphtheria in Venezuela, IAG Cargo has been busy shipping out vaccines to help fight the contagious disease. There have been 1,900 cases detected across 22 states, and in one shipment alone, IAG Cargo moved over 5.3 tonnes of the vaccine from India, working in partnership with Indian biopharmaceutical company Biological E. IAG Cargo global product manager for Constant Climate, Jez Palmer says: “We ship medicine across 90 countries 24/7, helping control the spread of infectious diseases across the globe. We take the responsibility of shipping live-saving medication very seriously – our dedicated Constant Climate product team ensures that vaccines arrive promptly and securely ready to be administered as necessary.”
Burt given key role at Air Partner Air Partner has picked Jack Burt to lead its US Cargo division, using his 11 years of experience in the industry in his new role as vice president of US Cargo. In the role, Burt will be responsible for implementing the aviation services group’s air cargo strategy throughout North and South America, as well as the overall establishment of the US cargo division itself. Before becoming the vice president of Air Partner’s US cargo division, Burt served as the cargo director for a number of other aviation companies where he led a large portfolio of clients and was responsible for overall sales. Air Partner US office president, David McCown says: “We are excited to welcome Jack Burt to Air Partner’s growing team of aviation experts and are confident that his skills and experience will provide tremendous growth to our company. “We look forward to growing in the coming years with Jack and are excited to have him on board.”
rio prospers despite trucker strike
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60 seconds of summer with richard charles
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aircargoweek.com 01 20 August 2018.indd 1
16/08/2018 12:31