Local 512

February 21, 2026

My fellow 512 family,

Many of you have been asking where the company is headed and what the long-term plan really is. Right now, there is continued criticism that Robert Isom has not clearly laid out a consistent vision for American Airlines and how it plans to compete moving forward.

One of the biggest questions is whether the airline will keep following the strategy we saw under former CEO Doug Parker, which focused heavily on matching low-cost competition from carriers like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, or whether leadership will truly commit to rebuilding a strong premium operation that attracts business travelers and higher-revenue flying.

This issue hits home for us in Chicago. For years, O’Hare International Airport (ORD) felt like it was no longer a top priority, as attention shifted to other strategies and markets. That left this station fighting to maintain relevance in a city that has always been a major business and aviation hub.

If the company follows through with meaningful expansion, this could be an opportunity to reestablish a strong foothold here. If not, we risk continuing to operate in a cycle of uncertainty. As recently seen at our spring bid meeting with ORD AA leadership and admin. 

During the recent spring bid meeting, the company shared an operational change that will affect how activity flows during the day at American Airlines here at O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

Management indicated that after the morning shifts, there will be seven “gap gates,” meaning a noticeable slowdown in mainline aircraft activity between the end of the morning shift and the start of the afternoon bank. This creates a longer-than-usual transition period in which those gates are not used for the typical turn operation associated with the morning departure wave.

To make use of the downtime, the company plans to backfill those gates with regional flights. These regional operations are expected to rotate through the affected gate areas, between H4 through H12, and including K3. This is being presented as a gate-utilization strategy to keep space active rather than leaving it idle. However, the real question is what happens when. We go into irregular operations. We continue to have several unanswered questions. How is this going to really work? 

As part of the afternoon portion of the spring bid, the company outlined another operational adjustment at American Airlines affecting coverage at O’Hare. Management has created seven dedicated flex crews for the afternoon operation, including four full-time and three part-time crews.

According to the company, these flex teams are being established to respond to gate availability as it opens on the G and L concourses, rather than pulling employees away from their regularly assigned gates. This is intended to prevent a repeat of the issues we experienced in the current bid, where flex coverage resulted in crews being reassigned on short notice. The goal is to create a controlled response team that fills operational gaps without dismantling the planned staffing structure elsewhere.

A reminder to all members, our gate staffing model remains 3 and 1, that is tree crew members and one crew chief per gate. This is the company’s established crew base at American Airlines here at ORD.

We do not operate under a 2-1 model. If you are ever assigned or directed otherwise, please seek clarification immediately. 

If you have questions or need further guidance, reach out to your union leadership so we can address concerns and ensure the operation stays aligned with the agreed staffing structure.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Juan Elvira

President – TWU Local 512

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