The Air Lines Pilots Assn. representing Continental Airlines pilots said Friday that it has been informed that Continental will be “recalling all of its pilots from furlough.”
According to ALPA, CO furloughed 147 pilots in September 2008. Fifteen were recalled earlier this year and the remaining pilots are “expected to begin returning for training sometime during the last quarter of 2010."
“With the increases in flying due to increased passenger traffic and anticipated aircraft deliveries, combined with normal pilot attrition rates, we have been saying for months that we needed our pilots back in order to adequately maintain the level of service that Continental is known for,” said Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of the Continental pilots unit of ALPA.
Continental also announced that United Airlines and Continental Airlines have agreed on a path to obtain a single operating certificate from FAA that will see the merged carriers retain the "legacy Continental operating certificate and the legacy United repair station certificate," according to UA VP-Corporate Safety, Security, Quality & Environment Michael Quiello.
The information was contained in a communication from Quiello to UA employees last week. Achieving an SOC "is a long-term process that will follow a series of steps in a transition plan that we will submit to FAA later this month," he said. It will "be the third and final stage in the merger process," following Closing Day, when the merger is legally completed, and Customer Day One, set for sometime next spring, when the two airlines' customer service systems are expected to be able to handle passengers from either airline. It is anticipated the SOC will take at least a year to accomplish from the date of the closing of the merger.
