CINCINNATI, Feb. 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Today, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Adlai Hardin Jr. ruled in favor of Comair's motion to enjoin work actions by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and its members. The ruling restricts the union and individual pilots from disrupting the regional carrier's operations. Those who violate the ruling face serious consequences, including the possibility of personal liability and other legal penalties.
"The majority of our employees are dedicated professionals who would not do anything to negatively affect our customers, but we could not ignore ALPA's constant, public threats to strike," said Comair President Don Bornhorst. "The injunction helps us protect our business, customers and employees and is an unfortunate necessity to allow us to complete our restructuring."
Unless a tentative agreement is reached before midnight on Friday, February 9, Comair will move forward with implementing changes to the pilot contract approved by Judge Hardin in December 2006. The cost savings from the pilot contract were the last major piece of Comair's reorganization, with the pilots being the only group not affected by concessions since the airline filed for Chapter 11 more than 15 months ago.
In that time, Comair and ALPA have been engaged in ongoing negotiations and have been unable to finalize an agreement. After the Bankruptcy Court authorized the company to make changes to the pilot contract in December 2006, Comair continued talks with ALPA to try to reach a consensual agreement.
The company remains committed to continuing discussions with the union after the implementation of contract changes.
Comair is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and a Delta Connection carrier. The airline employs 6,500 aviation professionals and operates 795 flights a day to approximately 100 cities in the United States and Canada.