January 19, 2012 - ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, Capt. Sean Cassidy (ALA), and aviation security chairman, Capt. Fred Eissler (FDX), met with Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) leaders in Reston, Va., on Tuesday, January 17. ALPA representatives, FAMS Director Robert Bray, and Assistant Director for Flight Operations Brett Gunter discussed issues of mutual interest, including future goals and management of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program.

Discussions addressed concerns raised during the most recent FFDO stakeholder meeting in November 2011. The exchange resulted in the FAMS agreeing to not implement some of the FFDO program’s standard operating procedure changes that were opposed by ALPA. These discussions also included improvements supported by ALPA and commitments to revisit additional issues of concern through future meetings. Details will be made available directly to FFDOs by FAMS leadership.