Turbulence on the Horizon: American Airlines Pilots Push Back on Alaska’s European Codeshare Plans
There’s unrest brewing in the cockpit—this time between American Airlines and its own pilots over a proposed codeshare deal with Alaska Airlines. The issue at hand? Widebody transatlantic flights that American crews feel should be theirs to fly, not Alaska’s. Let’s dive into why Alaska’s new Boeing 787 routes to Europe are creating some serious headwinds.
Alaska Gets Dreamliners and Dreams Bigger
Alaska Airlines, fresh off its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, has scored four shiny Boeing 787 Dreamliners that were originally headed for Hawaiian’s fleet. Rather than keeping those jets parked in the hangar, Alaska’s taking a big leap across the pond, launching transatlantic service from Seattle to Rome, London and Reykjavik.
It’s a bold move. Historically, Alaska’s network has been pretty narrowbody-focused, mainly hugging North America. But now, with these Dreamliners in its tool belt, the airline’s looking to stretch its wings in a big way.
Alliances, Codeshares and…Conflict
Enter American Airlines. While American doesn’t operate any of its own international flights from Seattle, it does have big ambitions to strengthen its presence in the Northwest. By codesharing on Alaska’s new European routes, American could gain access to these long-haul markets without committing its own widebody fleet or crews. On paper, it sounds like a win-win: Alaska gets a strategic partner to help fill seats, and American taps into new markets without the upfront cost.
But the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents around 16,000 American Airlines pilots, sees things differently. Specifically, they see this as a clear breach of the company’s scope clause.
What’s a Scope Clause, Anyway?
Put simply, a scope clause is a contractual limit that unions, like the APA, negotiate to protect their pilots’ jobs from being outsourced. In this case, the clause says American can codeshare with domestic partners—but once those partners start flying overseas with widebodies, that’s off-limits unless American mainline pilots are operating the flights.
And that’s exactly what’s got pilots up in arms.
APA President Nick Silva said the airline directly acknowledged its intent to flout these contract provisions. The union has already filed two grievances—one focused on the codeshare violation itself, and another targeting the use of Hawaiian’s Dreamliners under Alaska’s certificate to grow long-haul international markets.
For American’s pilots, the threat isn’t just about legal fine print. It’s about career progression. Widebody flying represents the pinnacle of an airline pilot’s career in terms of both pay and prestige. Allowing a codeshare that uses another airline’s crews for these prime routes denies American’s pilots a shot at those highly coveted assignments.
Opportunity or Outsourcing?
American believes the codeshare could help fuel growth and broaden reach on the West Coast. And honestly, adding a European footprint out of Seattle without deploying extra aircraft is a pretty slick tactic from a business perspective.
But there’s a deeper philosophical divide here, too. Dennis Tajer, longtime APA spokesperson, didn’t hold back. He stressed that these scope provisions are about protecting both current pilot jobs and the career pipeline for junior aviators. If international expansion gets farmed out through codeshares, what’s left for tomorrow’s captains?
Will Seattle Become a Battlefront?
The timing is also interesting. Seattle-Tacoma International is already a crowded arena. Delta has a big international presence there with London, Paris, Seoul and more—and they’re not shy about adding new cities like Barcelona and Rome. United isn’t sleeping either, especially out toward Asia.
American, for its part, trails in West Coast international influence. Its transpacific joint venture with Japan Airlines gives it a line to Tokyo and other Asian markets, but it still lacks the kind of gateway footprint seen in LAX or DFW. Alaska’s new Dreamliner routes would hand American a West Coast-to-Europe presence without actually having to build it from scratch.
And there may be more synergy brewing—Japan Airlines has even floated the idea of bringing Alaska into the transpacific JV. If that happens, American could potentially anchor itself deeper into Northwest territory by coordinating both eastbound and westbound long-haul flights via partners.
Bottom Line
At the heart of this drama is a balancing act. Airlines crave flexibility and growth opportunities, particularly through partnerships and codeshares. But labor groups want a firm guardrail to protect pilot investment and training. This showdown over transatlantic codeshares shows just how delicate that compromise can be.
For now, keep an eye on those grievances as they head to arbitration come October. And if you’re thinking of booking a seat on one of Alaska’s new Dreamliner routes, just know that there may be a little more than jet fuel powering that flight—there could be some union fire, too.
What do you think?
