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NextGen Improves Air Travel Now; Promises Greater Future Benefit
Yesterday, ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak issued a statement
to affirm the union’s support for advancing NextGen and for
the collaborative process in place to realize full benefits
of modernization. The government-industry-labor partnership
is key to maximizing efficiency and safety gains.
“The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) fully
advocates for the advancement of NextGen and is working with
the FAA and other industry stakeholders to ensure progress
continues on this important initiative. The U.S. airline
industry has already realized some of the benefits of this
operational enhancement, and its completion is vital to
future capacity improvements as well as the continued safety
and efficiency of our national airspace system.
Read Capt. Moak’s
full statement. |
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With BOD Approaching, Brush Up on Your Union’s Goals with
ALP
The October issue of Air Line Pilot has arrived, and
with ALPA’s Board of Directors meeting rapidly approaching,
turn to page 20 to read about ALPA’s strategic plan in “Charting
a Course to Success.” ALPA’s aeromedical advisor gives
advice and tips in “Contracting
a Tropical Disease: What You Need to Know.” And
Our
Stories on page 34 introduces you to a JetBlue pilot who
knows a different meaning of “never forget.”
Air Line Pilot is available
online now and coming soon to your mailbox. |
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Does the U.S. Government Copy? ALPA Reinforces Call for Long-Term FAA Funding
During
remarks today on a key panel at the Air Traffic Control
Association’s (ATCA) 59th Annual Conference and Exposition
in Washington, D.C., ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak
reinforced ALPA’s call for long-term sustained funding for
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
ALPA’s president opened his comments by commending the
FAA for their handling of the recent sabotage event at
Chicago center. “Kudos to the FAA,” Moak said, noting that
ALPA was thankful that no one was injured and that the
Chicago event is a reminder of the need for our ATC system
to not only be well protected, but also robust, redundant,
and able to react swiftly and effectively to serious events
in the national airspace.
Read more about the ATCA conference. |
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FedEx Pilots Continue Their Stand with Rallies at International Bases
On Sunday, FedEx pilots and their families in Cologne and
Hong Kong came together in support of their Negotiating
Committee. Just a few days after successful informational
picketing events in Anchorage, Los Angeles, and Memphis,
Sunday’s rallies provided an opportunity for internationally
based pilots to add their voices to the growing frustration
with contract negotiations. MEC officers, representatives,
and committee members were on hand to answer questions
regarding current issues.
“Our pilots are engaged, and their participation at these
events conveys to management that we are united and ready to
conclude negotiations,” said MEC chairman Capt. Scott
Stratton. “It is time for the pilots to be recognized for
their contribution to the success of the corporation.”
The Negotiating Committee will meet with management again
this week. “It is our hope that we are nearing the end of
this long road to obtaining a contract,” said Stratton. “The
next few weeks will be telling and real progress at the
table will determine if our voices have been heard.” |
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PSA MEC Welcomes New Hires
The PSA MEC held its first new-hire pilot get-together last
week at Fricker’s in Vandalia, Ohio. MEC Chairman Jesse
Coeling and MEC Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hinczynski welcomed
more than 50 new PSA pilots in various stages of their
training.
These social gatherings are intended to give new PSA
pilots the opportunity to meet with their union leadership
and learn more about the Association. PSA MEC leaders intend
to hold these events regularly to welcome their newest
members into the ALPA fold. |
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TSA’s Pistole Announces New PreCheck Initiative
TSA Administrator John Pistole spoke at the Aero Club’s
monthly luncheon on Friday, September 26, addressing topics
from TSA PreCheck and risk-based security (RBS) to his
“2020” vision for the TSA—with a running theme of
partnerships between government, industry, and labor. As
part of that theme, Pistole recognized ALPA for our work
with Airlines for America in developing the Known Crewmember
program, which has had 22 million screenings (and counting)
to date.
The biggest news from the event was the announcement of
TSA’s “private sector prescreening initiative,” wherein the
agency plans to partner with third-party, private-sector
vendors to increase enrollments in the TSA PreCheck program.
Pistole stated that TSA will host an industry day on October
7 at its headquarters to discuss the initiative, with a goal
of third-party enrollment operations beginning in 2015. The
objective, he said, would be to take the program from its
current population of hundreds of thousands into the
millions.
Pistole segued from this announcement into his view for
the agency in the year 2020, which included a heavy emphasis
on the enlarged PreCheck. He envisions that a majority of
U.S. airline passengers will go through TSA PreCheck and
that a majority of security lanes will be PreCheck lanes as
a result. He anticipates there will also be reciprocity
agreements with friendly governments overseas that have
similar programs. Finally, he stated that the process of
examining checked bags will likely be updated under RBS
principles, allowing for a greater focusing of resources
where they’re needed. |
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ALPA Urges Security Precautions
Also during last week’s Aero Club luncheon, TSA
Administrator John Pistole reiterated that aviation
continues to be the target of security threats. The
hostilities in the Middle East give evidence of the
potential for these threats to increase, and these facts
underscore the need for all members to maintain the highest
level of vigilance. If you see something, say something to
the authorities. If there is any doubt about security, take
appropriate action to fully resolve the situation. As a
reminder, ALPA provides
World Watch to its members for information about
security conditions around the globe. |
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Returning Military Personnel Granted Exception for Use of ATP Knowledge Test
ALPA members who have been on leave from their airline in a
U.S. military or civilian capacity outside the United States
in support of the U.S. Armed Forces and who need to obtain
the ATP certificate but have already completed the ATP
knowledge test (written) should be aware that the FAA has an
exception to the regulations on pilot qualifications for
them. Specifically, those returning who have an expired ATP
knowledge test are permitted to use it as a prerequisite for
taking a practical test within six months following their
return to the States. If the written was taken prior to
August 1, 2014, this exception eliminates the need for these
pilots to take the ATP Certification Training Program (CTP)
course, which is now required before taking the ATP
knowledge and practical tests, per 14 CFR 61.156.
The exception to this rule, and how to make use of it, is
described in
Part 61 Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 100-2. |
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Aviation Industry Pledges to Stop Carbon Emissions Growth by 2020
An agreement by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), cosigned September 23 by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA) and several
other international aviation groups at the United Nations
Climate Change Summit, pledges to stabilize the growth of
carbon emissions from aircraft by 2020 and reduce carbon
emissions to 2005 levels by 2050. This agreement is
consistent with ALPA’s long-standing commitment to sound
environmental aviation policy. Advanced biofuels, a national
airline policy that allows U.S. airlines to invest in
modern, energy efficient aircraft, and the advancement of
NextGen technology to reduce flight miles and optimize
operations will play key roles in meeting these targets.
Read the full story on ALPA’s blog,
Pilot Partisan. |
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ALPA Daily Extra
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ALPA
represents more than 51,000 pilots at 31 airlines in the
United States and Canada.
Visit us online at
www.alpa.org. |
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