ICAO to Prohibit Lithium Metal Battery Cargo on All Passenger Aircraft

In an important win for ALPA’s campaign to level the playing field between U.S. airlines and their foreign competitors, ICAO’s Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP) last week decided to revise existing cargo standards to prohibit the carriage of lithium metal batteries as cargo on all passenger aircraft with an effective date of January 1, 2015. F/O Mark Rogers, director of ALPA’s dangerous goods program, has long advocated for such a prohibition and did so again at the DGP’s meeting last week in Montréal, Canada.

Read more about the revised cargo standards.

It Takes Two—Canadian Airlines Seek Merger

The two largest ALPA airlines servicing the majority of the Canadian Arctic have announced a possible merger. Inuit-owned companies NorTerra Inc. and Makavik Corp. announced Friday that they are investigating whether to merge Canadian North and First Air. Each airline has approximately 140 flightcrew members and flies a mix of jet and turboprop aircraft, with most adapted for combi configurations to carry additional freight. If approved, the merger would take place over a two-year period.

While the Canadian government would likely take a close look at any proposed merger to make sure it would not raise freight costs and airfares to the arctic, both airlines say combining forces would lower costs and add jobs, with a single airline being more efficient. The merged airline would fly under a new name and become one of the largest carriers in Canada.

AirTran MEC Transitions to Custodianship

In a regular meeting held last week, at the request of the AirTran Master Executive Council (MEC), the ALPA Executive Council granted custodianship status to the AirTran MEC, effective May 1, 2014. As the merger of the AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines operations nears completion, so does the pilot transition. Of the nearly 1,750 AirTran pilots who joined ALPA in May 2010, less than half remain.

In April, approximately 75 pilots will attend transition class at SWA. A larger changeover will take place in May after the Orlando base closing. Over 50 Orlando pilots will be displaced to the Atlanta base, while another 50 transition to SWA. The most recent award will send another 30 AirTran pilots in June. The transition to SWA includes MEC officers, status representatives, and committee chairmen and volunteers, all crossing the partition to Southwest at an increasing rate.

Capt. Mark Hatten, chairman of the AirTran MEC, was appointed by ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak to act as custodian representative on behalf of the AirTran pilots.

Introducing Envoy: American Eagle now Envoy

Today is the day American Eagle, the wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, officially becomes Envoy. The name change, announced in January, is designed to give the former American Eagle a brand identity of its own and to distinguish Envoy from the other carriers that provide regional flying under the American Eagle livery.

Two Minutes & Men's Health Magazine

Ever wonder how newsstand magazines get the information on their Top 10 or Quick Tips lists? Here’s your chance to participate. Men’s Health magazine will publish an upcoming article on surviving jet lag, and they want to hear from the experts. It takes just two quick minutes. If you’re interested, click here.

ALPA and Parks College Form Alliance

ALPA and Parks College in St. Louis, Mo., formalized an alliance last week to enhance the educational foundation and professional development of students enrolled in the Parks College flight program. The new agreement with ALPA provides for the establishment of ALPA’s pilot mentorship program, which will help further prepare college aviators for the airline industry.

ALPA, through its Education Committee, has built similar alliances with industry-leading aviation universities and continues to explore other opportunities to provide structured industry mentorship and leadership opportunities to aspiring aviators. In addition to Parks College, ALPA has university mentoring programs at Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, and Western Michigan University. Agreements for ALPA’s Aviation Collegiate Education (ACE) Club, a student-led professional development group, are also in place at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., campuses) and the University of North Dakota. These programs have helped further ALPA’s efforts to promote the profession and cultivate the next generation of airline pilots. To learn more or to volunteer, log on to the ALPA Education Committee webpage or send an e-mail to Education@alpa.org.