Pilots say American wants to resume contract talks - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

There could be progress in breaking the standoff between American Airlines and its pilots, which appears to have caused a spike in canceled and delayed flights.

American formally asked the pilots' union to resume negotiations on a new labor contract. A spokesman says the union board will meet today to decide on the next step.

Pilots and management at American have been at odds for years, but the conflict came to a head this month when a federal bankruptcy judge allowed the airline to break its contract with pilots. American set new pay and work rules that could lead to outsourcing more flying to other airlines.

Almost immediately, delays and cancelations rose sharply at American, the nation's third-biggest airline. American canceled more than 300 flights last week, and the new week began no better.

On Monday, American canceled 113 flights, or 6.1 percent of its total. Other than its regional-flying affiliate, American Eagle, which had 13 cancelations, no other airline had more than eight, according to flight-tracking service FlightStats.com.

American operated more than 1,800 flights Monday, and just 51.1 percent arrived on time, by far the worst record among the nation's five biggest airlines.

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