While seeking a negotiated solution to deactivate the 24-hour strike for this Wednesday, the management of Aerolíneas Argentinas public officials’ mileage programs cancelled who travel with tickets purchased by the state.
The company he now runs Fabio Lombardocoming from the previous administration, decided that from Friday no official traveling with a ticket paid for by a public body will accumulate miles to be used in personal travel.
Until now, it was common for tickets purchased from official organizations to accumulate miles not for the person who purchased them, the state agency, but for the passengers.
In the case of Aerolíneas, according to data from the state company, around 2023 80 million miles to subjects who traveled with tickets purchased from the three powers of the State, decentralized bodies and public companies.
That volume of miles was in turn used to redeem them for more than 10,000 tickets for personal use only in 2023. Of this number, approximately 1,000 tickets were issued executive class.
Measured at market value, according to Aerolíneas’ internal data, these tickets represented a cost of $ 2,364 million pesosagainst an official dollar that has fluctuated between $185 and $462 between January 1st and December 10th.
“This mileage credit has resulted the creation of a dollar liability for Aerolíneas Argentinaswhich originates from a payment by the State, and which generates a debt in dollars towards the State itself”, explained company sources.
The decision to cancel mileage programs is in line with reduce state spending which comes down from the Casa Rosada. But the arguments put forward by Aerolíneas are surprising to say the least, since they censure a practice that the same leadership had carried out until now.
“The objective of Aerolíneas Argentinas is to increase productivity and efficiency in the use of its fleet and its technical and human resources,” company sources said.
The current president of Aerolíneas, Fabián Lombardo, has held the position of Commercial Director of the airline, when it was once again managed by the group La Campora and its owner was Pablo Ceriani.
Since his appointment to his new role in December, Lombardo has reported to the former Infrastructure Minister, Guillermo Ferrarowho before his premature resignation had taken credit for removing six management positions at Aerolíneas as part of his task to reduce the state company’s costs.
Ferraro was removed from his position as minister at the end of January and formalized it at the beginning of February. Until now It has no substitute.
Areas that depend on infrastructure now move in that limbo, including airlines which at least for the moment is managed with a autonomy almost total: It has no minister to report to and receives no funding from the state.
According to the Open Budget website, of the 75,000 million pesos that Aerolíneas has allocated as subsidies (they were automatically renewed, without inflation, starting from the 2023 Budget) So far it has not requested any entries from the Treasury.
“We continue to finance ourselves with cash $350 million left over from pre-sale tickets in the months preceding the high season – explain company sources – In the month of January we transported 1.3 million passengers, with an increase of 12% compared to the same period of the previous year. For February we will add just over 10 million passengers, a year-over-year increase of 4%.”
This policy of greater austerity has been transferred to joint negotiation with the aviation unions, which on Wednesday launched their first measure of force during the Milei era.
The three unions closest to the K government, the Aeronautical Personnel Association (airport staff), the Pilots’ Association and the Senior Staff Union, have ordered a 24-hour strike from scratch on Wednesday.
From APLA, the pilots’ union, they explained that for the joint period which started in October last year they had an increase of 8.3% in October and there will be a second salary increase in February of 16%. “This is for March, which is the month February is paid, a cumulative increase of 25.6% compared to inflation for the same period of 112.6%“This was reported by APLA sources.
The airlines did not ask for the intervention of the Ministry of Human Capital, where the former Ministry of Labor now operates, to dictate mandatory conciliation in the conflict. They said it continue to negotiate directly with the unions led by Edgardo Llano (APA), Pablo Biró (APLA) and Rubén Fernández (UPSA).
“Negotiations with the aeronautical unions are open. The airlines continue to support the dialogue and will prioritize the least possible impact on their passengers,” the company said.
Source: Clarin
