Historically, American Airlines has not followed the regular trend of outsourcing its maintenance works east. But now it seems it will be following suit as aircrafts like the Boeing 767 and 777 that require work could be on their way out. Southwest Airlines for example, already sends its aircrafts to Canada and El Salvador for maintenance. As one expert pointed out, since the aircrafts anyway fly everywhere, they can thus be maintained anywhere. So what airline companies are seeking is competitive pricing. And ultimately, with that on the table, American companies just can’t compete.
Safety First
This issue has been discussed previously; whether jobs should stay at home or be sent away. But now the question being asked is whether it is really as safe to send aircrafts away for maintenance since the feeling is the US do a better, more thorough (and thus safer) job. As well, the Transport Workers Union is concerned that government inspectors are not able to properly oversee “third-party maintenance facilities.” Since third-party companies are generally not FAA-certified and lack the necessary quality controls, this raises the risk factor.
This is probably why American Airlines has stated its intention to use its own mechanics to do the bulk of its maintenance work and just outsource 40 percent of it; safety first, being a priority.