The news lately has been, well, not so great. And just when you things couldn’t go any further south, they do! So good luck American Air, and to your passengers, maybe start making some noise now.
News in the U.S. these days is, well, grim. But, the holiday season should add some cheer, right? That depends; if you’re a fan of big wave surfing or are traveling this holiday season, probably not.
Good Luck American Air
If you haven’t already heard, American has a dire situation on its hands. Due to a “scheduling error” thousands of its flights this holiday season are without pilots. How? Who knows! But that’s a HUGE screw-up!
To correct this issue, American is offering to pay their pilots 150% of what they would have been paid. That sounds good to me! But American’s pilot union, ALPA, is telling its pilots not to take the offer. ALPA states that the way the situation is being handled is in violation of their contract. What exactly they’re referring to is anyone’s guess, though, as the grievance isn’t public.
If American (and ALPA) can’t find a resolution to this situation, then up to 15,000 flights could be canceled this holiday season. Those flights, according to the Pacific Business News span from as early as December 17 through the 31st. And if you’re unlucky enough to be flying American between those dates, now might be a good time to come up with a contingency plan. Calling the airline (though I doubt they’ll do anything) might be a good idea too. Also, check your credit card benefits to see if you have any applicable coverages.
No Eddie Big Wave Invitational This Year
As previously reported, the Aikau family and Quicksilver parted ways over a licensing dispute. And while the family had hoped they’d be able to find a new sponsor soon, they haven’t. Thus the family has announced that the Eddie Aikua Big Wave Invitational won’t be happening this year. The family says the simply do not have the resources to run the contest on their own, despite having the permits in-hand.
Even if a new sponsor did step in, though, it’s no guarantee the contest would even run. The competition requires 20-foot ocean swells between December 1 and the end of February. And so rare are these conditions that since its inception in 1984, the contest has only run nine times. The last time the Eddie was held was last year when local boy John John Florence won at just 23-years-old.