American Airlines pilots want strict laws that they say will protect crew and passengers as the COVID-19 outbreak persists.

The Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents American Airlines Group pilots, said it’s collaborating with other unions, such as the Association of Professional Flight Attendants which represents American’s flight attendants, to lobby Congress to take legislative action.

The APA wants mandatory personal protection equipment and priority testing for crew members, as well as a mandate that all passengers wear face masks when traveling. The APA also wants mandatory deep cleaning of aircraft and airports included, among other things.

“Your APA Government Affairs Committee is aggressively pursuing these initiatives on your behalf in Washington, D.C.,” the union said in a note to members this week.

Even though passenger volume is down 95 percent at TSA checkpoints year over year, airlines are still flying hundreds of flights a day with load factors in the teens and below.

Airlines are deemed an essential business, and a condition of carriers receiving payroll grants from the U.S. government is they continue to serve all destinations they usually serve. American, like other carriers, is applying for some exemptions to that rule.

American spokesperson Matt Miller said the airline is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and purchasing masks for all frontline employees who want to wear them. American is currently in the process of distributing the masks and is encouraging employees to bring their own, too, Miller said.

“Many of American’s team members have transformed our temporarily closed Admirals Club lounges into sewing groups to create masks for colleagues,” Miller said.

An APA spokesperson said even though American is supplying masks, the union thinks it should be an industry-wide practice that’s based in law. www.bizjournals.com