By ALPA National Officers

The spirit of the holiday season is giving. But for an extensive network of pilot volunteers, the spirit of giving lasts all year. These men and women are the backbone of one of ALPA’s most valuable resources, the ASO Pilot Assistance program. Pilots helping pilots is the main focus of the program, and for the pilots who volunteer through the various ASO Pilot Assistance programs, they dedicate themselves day in and day out to helping promote their colleagues’ professional performance.

For many, the holiday season is a time to spend with family and friends. It’s a special time of the year to reflect and embrace the spirit of giving through holiday cheer. It’s also the perfect time to spread magic in communities through small acts of love and kindness.

Each year, ALPA pilots do just that by participating in local charitable events across the country. From generous donations to local hospital visits, ALPA pilots go above and beyond to help put smiles on others’ faces.

By Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president

It’s no surprise that, as many of us check the calendar this week for last-minute holiday shipping deadlines, the pilots who fly cargo in the United States and Canada are experiencing their busiest time of the year. With many more of us buying gifts for family and friends online, pilots who fly cargo will transport hundreds of millions of packages across our two countries and around the globe in the coming days.

Over the past two weeks, airlines throughout the world have announced voluntary bans on the passenger carriage of hoverboards on aircraft. These boards pose a serious threat to the safety of aircraft because of their power source: lithium batteries. Each board has a single battery that is capable of self-igniting and burning hotter than standard fire suppression systems are capable of putting out. That’s bad news mid-flight.

Passenger airlines have recognized the grave dangers posed by just one lithium battery; imagine the incredible threat a pallet-full or an entire cargo compartment of these batteries can pose. While some passenger airlines have also voluntarily banned bulk shipments of lithium ion batteries, other airlines have not and unfortunately, for cargo pilots, they live with this threat every day from the carriage of both lithium ion, and worse, lithium metal battery shipments.