Pilots picket as airline unions leverage summer travel woes

DALLAS (AP) — Hundreds of uniformed Southwest Airlines pilots stood in perfect lines in the scorching Texas sun at Dallas Love Field on Tuesday, holding signs that blamed Southwest management for delays and cancellations that have upset passengers.

Every once in a while, a motorist would honk or yell encouragement. Most passengers made a beeline for the security checkpoint inside the terminal.

The protest, which the union said drew up to 1,300 pilots, was the latest example of airline workers trying to put pressure on companies by taking their demands for higher pay directly to the flying public.

Federal law makes it nearly impossible for airline unions to conduct legal strikes. Contract negotiations tend to drag out — often for years. Southwest's flight attendants have been working under an old contract since 2018.

That slow pace causes unions to look for creative ways to put pressure on management. Sometimes they vote to authorize a strike — Alaska Airlines pilots did that last month — even though there is little chance that they will walk off the job.

Last week, the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA, posted an open letter to Delta Air Lines customers, saying its members empathized with travelers whose flights were delayed or canceled, and blaming Delta management. The union said Delta has scheduled more flights than it has pilots to fly, and pilots were working record overtime hours.

Earlier this month, American Airlines pilots picketed near the New York Stock Exchange, and before that, at major airports. Some held signs such as, “Frustrated with AA? So are we.”

Airline unions are hoping to take advantage of strong demand for travel this summer to win increases in wages and benefits.

United Airlines reached agreement with ALPA last month. Terms have not been...