US Airways pilots dump ALPA, form new union

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pilots at US Airways Group (LCC.N) have voted to leave the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and form a separate union, ALPA said on Thursday.

The pilots, who previously flew for the former US Airways and America West, which merged in 2005, left ALPA after some pilots became frustrated with the progress of post-merger discussions.

Of the 5,238 eligible pilot voters, 2,723 voted to form the US Airline Pilots Association and 2,254 voted to remain in ALPA. The new union must negotiate a new contract representing both pilot groups and merging seniority lists.

"We were obviously hopeful that a majority of all US Airways pilots would make a different decision," ALPA President Capt. John Prater said in a statement.

Seniority determines what planes and routes pilots fly and their path for moving up the ranks. The issue is one of the biggest difficulties in merging two airlines.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and Northwest Airlines NWA.N this week announced plans to create the world's largest airline.

An earlier attempt by Delta and Northwest to reach a merger deal was disrupted by the failure of the two carriers' unionized pilots to reach a deal on seniority.

Delta and Northwest say they have reached a deal with Delta pilots that gives them the cost savings they need to proceed with a merger without a pilot integration deal and without the full support of the pilots.

Delta pilots support the merger proposal, while Northwest pilots oppose it.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)