Airline
Industry Update
• According to the FAA,
the number of serious runway incursions—classified as
Categories A and B—dropped by more than 90 percent from
fiscal year 2000 through fiscal year 2010. In fiscal year
2010, which ended Sept. 30, 2010, there were six serious
runway incursions, 50 percent fewer than the previous fiscal
year, and the second consecutive year with a 50 percent drop
in serious incursions.
• Transportation Security Administration
screeners chose the American Federation of Government Employees over the
National Treasury Employees Union to represent them, reported the Associated
Press. A runoff vote was conducted after neither union received a majority
in a previous vote.
• Bloomberg reported that FedEx Corp.
declared $558 million in fiscal fourth-quarter profits, up 33 percent from
the comparable quarter a year earlier. The company said fuel surcharges
boosted its returns despite higher fuel costs.
• In late June, the NTSB announced its
new “Most Wanted List,” which highlights 10 safety issues that affect
transportation nationwide. Included in the list are pilot and air traffic
controller professionalism, human fatigue, safety management systems, and
runway safety. Go to
www.ntsb.gov/mostwanted to see the complete list.
• About 150 turtles crawled onto the
tarmac at New York’s JFK Airport on June 30 in search of beaches to lay
their eggs, delaying dozens of flights, according to Flight Safety
Information. “We ceded to Mother Nature,” said Ron Marsico, a spokesman for
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Workers from the Port
Authority and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were scooping up turtles
and moving them across the airport, he said. Flight delays averaged about 30
minutes. “We built on the area where they were nesting for generations, so
we feel incumbent to help them along the way,” Marsico said.
• AAAE Security SmartBrief reported that
the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. airlines are working
together to launch a trusted traveler trial program. Airlines are currently
looking for travelers willing to participate in the program. Travelers who
participate in the pilot program would still pass through security
checkpoints, but they may be able to keep their laptops in their cases and
their shoes on their feet.
• “I am deeply honored to be renominated
to serve as chairman of the NTSB. It has been a privilege to lead this
remarkable organization with its dedicated and professional employees. I am
grateful for the faith that President Obama has placed in me and look
forward to working with my fellow Board members to make
transportation—across all modes—safer for our citizens,” announced Deborah
Hersman in late June regarding the president’s intention to renominate her
for a second term as NTSB chairman.
• The International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) has adopted a code of conduct to oversee the collection,
sharing, and use of aviation safety information, reported ATWonline.com.
“Transparency and sharing of safety information are fundamental to a safe
air transportation system. The new code of conduct will help ensure that the
information is used in a fair and consistent manner, with the sole objective
of improving safety,” said Roberto Kobeh González, ICAO Council president.
• In late June, Solena Fuels and several
airlines—including Air Canada, Alaska, American, FedEx Express, Frontier,
JetBlue, Lufthansa, Southwest, United/Continental, and U.S. Airways—signed a
deal in which they will use the company’s “Green Sky California” fuel on
flights out of the San Francisco Bay area. Domesticfuel.com reported that
Solena will produce the renewable fuel from recycled agricultural and urban
waste at a plant in Santa Clara County, Calif., to be constructed by 2013.
The company said it will have the capacity to produce up to 16 million
gallons of jet fuel a year by 2015 to support airline operations at airports
in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose.
Front Lines Trans States Pilots Reach Tentative
Agreement
After more than five years of contract negotiations, Trans States pilot
leaders announced on July 12 that they had reached a tentative agreement
with management on a new four-year contract. The agreement, which includes
wage increases, better work rules, and stronger job security provisions,
will be sent to the entire pilot group for ratification in the next few
weeks.
“The proposed new agreement includes improvements in many sections of our
contract with significant improvements in compensation,” said Capt. Jason
Ruszin, the pilots’ Master Executive Council chairman. “No longer will first
officer second-year pay be 25 percent below industry average or will the
five-year limitation on their pay scale be a limitation on their earnings.
Cancellation pay on a leg-by-leg basis, industry average wage rates across
the board, and the closing of many contract loopholes will not only put all
our pilots’ pay on par with others in the industry, but also will provide
for a better overall work environment.”
Trans States pilots have been among the lowest-paid in the industry, and
this new agreement will bring them closer to the industry standard with an
average 11.7 percent increase in captain’s pay and an average 14.5 percent
increase in first officer’s pay. The pilots will also receive a signing
bonus.
“I congratulate the patience and unwavering perseverance that the pilots
have shown in their pursuit of a fair contract that recognizes their
professionalism and expertise,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “The
dedication and focus of the pilot leaders to reach a deal in this current
economic climate is commendable. As we enter the voting phase of these
negotiations, the pilots are well positioned with the full support,
resources, and voice of the world’s most powerful pilots union.”
“Trans States pilots provided Trans States Holdings [the airline’s parent
company] with the financial resources to start up GoJet Airlines and
purchase Compass Air,” said Ruszin. “This tentative agreement finally
recognizes the sacrifices the pilots have made to the continued growth of
the company and will allow both parties to move forward and expand this
airline together.”
FedEx Express Pilots Sign New Contract
Capt. Scott Stratton, the FedEx Express pilots’ Master Executive Council
chairman, and the pilots’ Negotiating Committee, joined by Capt. Lee Moak,
ALPA’s president, met with management the week of July 4 to sign a new
collective bargaining agreement. The pilots ratified the short-duration
contract on March 23, 2011.
The two-year agreement is in effect retroactive to Feb. 28, 2011, and
runs through March 2013, subject to the pilots’ option to make it amendable
effective March 2012. The pilots have until Jan. 24, 2012, to exercise the
2012–2013 option. Accompanying the agreement is a written commitment to
engage in continuing discussions in an effort to narrow, clarify, or resolve
issues before the contract’s amendable date.
“This unique agreement provides improvements while maintaining our
strategic positioning for the next agreement,” said Stratton. “The signing
of the agreement solidifies our goal of gaining improvements for our pilots
while preparing for the next agreement.”
The new agreement provides across-the-board increases to hourly pay
rates, increases to domestic and foreign per diem rates, an improved foreign
duty assignment letter of agreement, three vital safety programs, and other
positive modifications.
“The FedEx Express agreement is an innovative approach to negotiations.
This agreement recognizes that the pilots deserve improvements in pay and
benefits, while also allowing the pilot group and management to continue
discussions on other issues as they move forward,” said Moak. “In
particular, given the uncertainty associated with the FAA’s notice of
proposed rulemaking on flight time/duty time, this short-duration agreement
is an outstanding achievement.”
Piedmont Pilots Demand End to Stall Tactics
Braving record heat, Piedmont pilots recently demonstrated at La Guardia
and Charlotte airports, demanding an end to management’s stall tactics. The
pilots are currently operating under a contract dating back to May 2000 and
have been in negotiations for more than two years.
Despite coming to the table, management has been reluctant to respond to
pilot proposals or to offer reasonable provisions. Piedmont, a wholly owned
subsidiary of US Airways, flies regionally in the southeastern United States
and has approximately 400 pilots.
United Pilots Welcome Recall of Up to 200 Pilots
On July 15, United Airlines announced the return of 100 to 200 furloughed
pilots. United pilots hope that this is the first of a wave of recalls that
will eventually lead to the return of all 1,437 furloughed pilots.
“When a furloughed United pilot returns to our cockpits, whether United
or subsidiary Continental, it is welcome news,” said Capt. Wendy Morse, the
pilots’ Master Executive Council chairman. “No pilots have paid a higher
price for the recent shocks to the aviation industry than the 1,437 United
pilots who have been on furlough.”
Training could begin as early as late September. While these pilots will
be hired to staff Continental aircraft, they will retain seniority rights in
position on the United pilot seniority list. The seniority lists of both
airlines will only be merged after the completion of a joint collective
bargaining agreement, allowing United to recognize the benefits of finally
completing the merger.
“We still have work to do to get the remaining United pilots off the
street,” added Morse. “We remain focused on securing a joint collective
bargaining agreement with United and getting all of our pilots back to work.
We look forward to that day and will not rest until they return.”
Continental Pilots Protest Additional Scope Violations
Continental pilots have filed two group grievances against United to
protest violations of scope provisions in their collective bargaining
agreement applicable to a merger during the period of separate pilot
contracts and operations of the two airlines. The first, filed June 2, 2011,
concerns removing B-767s from the Continental fleet (by sale). The second
charge, filed June 16, 2011, concerns reducing the ratio of Continental to
United flying required with respect to twin-aisle aircraft, specifically for
the third quarter of 2011. ALPA is seeking to have the company promptly
correct these issues, including stopping any attempts at further sales of
B-767s, correcting the ratio of flying performed by Continental to United,
monetary damages, and all other appropriate relief.
“Once again, management is seeking shortcuts to the merger process and is
trying an end-run around our contract instead of negotiating at the table,”
said Capt. Jay Pierce, the Continental pilots’ Master Executive Council
chairman. “In the airline industry, attempts to cut corners typically lead
to very bad results. Blatantly disregarding our existing contract runs
contrary to management’s stated interest in reaching ‘fair’ resolution on a
new contract and is no way to make progress toward successfully completing
the merger and securing much-anticipated benefits for passengers,
shareholders, and employees.”
These two incidents mark the second and third time since the merger close
date in October 2010 that ALPA has been forced to fight off management
attacks to the Continental pilots’ contract. In December, an arbitrator
ruled in favor of the pilots and against Continental management in its
attempt at circumventing scope provisions related to 70-seat jet flying.
ALPA Pilots Continue Call for Fatigue Rule
ALPA’s fatigue experts took the floor at a leading industry symposium
this summer to call for the swift issue of standardized rest regulations.
They also underscored the need for true collaboration among regulators,
airlines, and employees.
Capts. Don Wykoff (Delta) and Greg Whiting (United) were among the
panelists at MITRE’s Aviation Fatigue: Building a Bridge Between Research
and Operational Needs symposium. The event attracted influential
policymakers and researchers who explored how best to apply current fatigue
research to military and civilian flight operations.
“For nearly 80 years, ALPA has pushed to schedule with safety,” said
Wykoff, ALPA’s Flight Time/Duty Time Committee chairman. “ALPA will seize
every opportunity to make clear our science-based position that pilots’
bodies do not feel fatigue differently based on whether they are flying
cargo or passengers and that one standardized rest regulation must apply to
pilots in all airline operations.”
The MITRE sessions covered scheduled operations as well as on-demand,
military, and shift work. Panelists discussed the current tools that are
available to measure and predict fatigue. Wykoff presented ALPA’s views to
the hundreds gathered, as did Whiting, chairman of ALPA’s Fatigue Mitigation
Implementation Committee.
The symposium also covered operational strategies to mitigate fatigue,
such as fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) that include fitness-for-duty
programs, fatigue countermeasures, and real-time fatigue measurement.
While comprehensive FRMS programs create an additional safeguard against
pilot fatigue, Wykoff stated in no uncertain terms that a minimum rest
requirement and standardized flight- and duty-time regulations that apply to
all airline pilots are essential and that a collaborative process is
necessary to successfully implement the rule and truly enhance safety across
the airline industry.
ALPA Pursues Threat-Based Approach to Aviation Security Screening
On July 12, ALPA president’s, Capt. Lee Moak, sent a letter to the U.S.
House Subcommittee on Transportation Security reinforcing the Association’s
call for a threat-based approach to security screening that focuses on
intent rather than on objects, and for a Transportation Security
Administration reauthorization bill that enhances successful security
programs while working to close existing gaps.
“We are gratified by the Transportation Security Administration’s
positive response to ALPA’s position that a philosophical shift is needed in
this country’s approach to aviation security,” Moak said. “Airline pilots
are already thoroughly screened as a condition of their employment. We are
particularly pleased with the administration’s support of alternative
screening for pilots because it uses limited resources more effectively and
moves away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to security.”
In the letter, which was sent in preparation for the Subcommittee’s
hearing entitled “Industry Perspectives: Authorizing the Transportation
Security Administration for FY 2012 and 2013,” Moak emphasized the
Association’s call for a screening system that allows passengers with known
backgrounds to be promptly cleared through security and focuses greater
resources on those individuals whose background is unknown or in doubt. In
2010, ALPA released a white paper titled “Meeting Today’s Aviation Security
Needs: A Call to Action for a Trust-Based Security System,” which advocated
determining the risk posed by each passenger through a combination of
publicly available information, human interaction, and behavior-pattern
recognition.
Moak also cited the successful and widely respected Federal Flight Deck
Officer (FFDO) program, which positions federally credentialed, armed pilots
trained and managed by the Federal Air Marshal Service to serve as the last
line of defense of the cockpit. He appealed to Congress to significantly
increase funding and managerial oversight of the FFDO program to help
realize its full potential as one of the most cost-effective security
initiatives implemented since 9/11.
The Association also underscored to the Subcommittee the need to improve
threatened airspace management through the creation of a clearly defined,
prioritized plan to control the national airspace in the event of a major
terrorist attack. Such a plan would ensure the security of the air
transportation system but avoid a total or substantial closure of the
airspace.
Moak pointed out the importance of pursuing known solutions to closing
existing gaps in the security of all-cargo flight operations. All-cargo
flights remain exempt from many security practices that are mandated for
passenger airlines, such as requirements for a hardened flight deck door and
fingerprint-based criminal history record checks for persons with unescorted
access to aircraft and cargo. Moak asked Congress to address these
deficiencies to ensure the safety and security of the crew and other
individuals both aboard these aircraft and on the ground below their routes.
“ALPA recognizes the significant progress made under the TSA’s leadership
toward truly realizing a threat-based approach to aviation security,” Moak
concluded. “We look forward to the tremendous opportunity presented by this
reauthorization and other initiatives to make aviation security and the
passenger screening process as efficient and effective as possible to the
benefit of everyone who depends on air travel.”
Canada
Canadian North Pilots Ratify Labour Agreement
Members of ALPA’s newest Canadian pilot group, Canadian North, recently
ratified a tentative contract agreement. Nearly 80 percent of those who cast
ballots voted in favor of the agreement, which is the group’s first
collective agreement as ALPA members.
The agreement reflects advances in employment protection for long-term
job stability, increases in per diem and pay rates, and quality-of-life
improvements. Capt. Chris Kampen, the pilots’ Master Executive Council
chairman, credits the dedication of the Canadian North pilots and the
experience and leadership of ALPA as crucial in finalizing the agreement.
The contract ratification represents the culmination of more than two
years of hard work at the negotiating table. “I want to congratulate the
Canadian North flightcrew members for demonstrating an unwavering dedication
toward accomplishing their contract goals,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s
president. “The pilots are well positioned to implement their newly ratified
contract with the full support, resources, and voice of the world’s most
powerful pilots union.”
Canadian North is a major provider of scheduled passenger and cargo
services from Edmonton and Ottawa to points throughout the Northwest
Territories and Nunavut. The airline offers nonscheduled charter flights
throughout Canada and the U.S. Canadian North is headquartered in
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and operates a fleet of B-737-300s,
B-737-200s, and Dash 8-100s.
TSB Accuses TC of Stalling on Aviation Safety
The chairman of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) recently
criticized Transport Canada (TC), the Canadian regulatory body for
transportation safety, for inadequate progress on key aviation safety issues
highlighted on the TSB’s Watchlist.
On July 7, the TSB declared that a “stronger effort” is needed to resolve
these issues—landing accidents and runway overruns, risk of collisions on
runways, and “collisions with land and water” (i.e., controlled flight into
terrain).
Released in March 2010, the Watchlist contains nine key issues that the
TSB feels pose the greatest risk to safety. A series of 41 specific
recommendations aimed at both industry and regulators expand on those
issues.
Wendy Tadros, the TSB chair, said that while the past year has seen
progress on marine and rail safety issues, with seven recommendations
receiving the Board’s highest grade of “Fully Satisfactory,” she called the
lack of similar progress in aviation “troubling.”
Tadros declared, “We need to do more. Without strong leadership, we won’t
reduce the risk of collisions or aircraft overruns at Canada’s airports, nor
can we ensure better data and voice recorders on aircraft—areas where Canada
needs to meet new international standards.”
She added that the TSB plans to release a periodic “scorecard” aimed at
tracking developments and commitments by Transport Canada. “We will report
publicly on the results next spring,” Tadros said, “when we update our
Watchlist. Those issues that have been squarely addressed will be removed,
and if necessary, we’ll add new issues of concern at that time.”
Transport Canada issued a statement in response, asserting that the
agency “has made robust progress to date on a number of fronts and continues
to make the TSB’s recommendations a priority.”
Legislative Update
Still No Long-Term NextGen Funding
In late June, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the 20th “short
term” extension, good through July 22, 2011, to keep the FAA operating
pending a final, multi-year authorization bill.
Negotiations continue within Congress on how to resolve a handful of
remaining differences to send a comprehensive bill to the president in the
next several weeks. The House and Senate are at an impasse over funding
levels, takeoff and landing slots at Washington’s Reagan National Airport,
essential air service, regulating lithium batteries, and changes in election
procedures at the National Mediation Board, among other items.
The last reauthorization bill expired in 2007.
Engineering and Air Safety Update ALPA
Holds Advanced Accident Investigation Training Course
In mid-June, ALPA held its Advanced Accident Investigation Course (AI3)
at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. Twelve pilot
volunteers from nine airlines conducted a mock accident investigation that
included examining actual aircraft wreckage.
As part of the investigation, course attendees participated in six
technical groups, including Air Traffic Control, Cockpit Voice Recorder,
Maintenance Records, Operations, Structures, and Survival Factors. The
course exposes pilots to the various aspects of an accident investigation so
they will be prepared to serve as the ALPA party coordinator and/or an
investigative group member.
Beyond the technical groups, the pilot volunteers also simulated an
organizational meeting, various mock NTSB progress meetings, and ALPA
progress meetings. ALPA’s AI3 course is the capstone of a three-part
training program designed to prepare ALPA pilots to participate in major
aircraft accident investigations that the NTSB and the Transportation Safety
Board of Canada (TSBC) conduct.
ALPA Conveys Concerns About UAS
ALPA’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, recently sent a letter to U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood expressing the
union’s concerns about integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into
civil airspace before all necessary research, testing, and operational
safeguards are in place. The Association offered its assistance to the DOT
as it considers the future of UAS in the national airspace system (NAS).
ALPA pledged to collaborate with the DOT and FAA to ensure the safety of
the NAS, as some members of Congress are calling for arbitrary deadlines
that threaten to put untested and unregulated UAS in the same airspace as
airliners.
ALPA has initiated a Call to Action to urge Congress to oppose any
deadlines for UAS integration until proper safety regulations are
established. Go to the members-only site of
www.alpa.org and click on the
Legislation & ALPA-PAC site to participate.
New Airline Pilot Rest Rules Needed Now
ALPA submitted supplemental comments to the FAA on June 29 urging the
agency to dismiss groundless stall tactics by some in the airline industry
and issue the flight- and duty-time regulations and minimum rest
requirements for airline pilots that are urgently needed to ensure the
safety of air transportation.
“Over the past two years, the FAA, the airlines, and airline employees
have joined together in a tremendous effort to develop flight- and duty-time
regulations and minimum rest requirements for airline pilots that are based
on sound science,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “No justification
exists for delaying the result of this unprecedented collaboration when new
rules are needed now to safeguard passengers, crews, and cargo.”
In its supplemental comments, the Association cited the federal law that
mandates that the FAA issue a final flight limitation rule by Aug. 1, 2011,
and emphasized that any delay would be in violation of the will of Congress
and of the American people.
To read more, go the members-only site of
www.alpa.org and click on the Safety and Security tab.
ALPA: LightSquared Broadband Proposal Threatens GPS
In a letter sent on June 22 to the House Aviation Subcommittee, ALPA
declared adamant opposition to a private company’s bid to expand its
broadband communications services in a way that would jeopardize the Global
Positioning System (GPS) and threaten the tremendous contribution that the
satnav system makes to ensuring efficient and safe airline operations. Capt.
Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, sent the letter as the Subcommittee prepared to
hold a hearing on this issue.
Since 1983, when GPS became available for civilian use, the system has
become an indispensable tool for aircraft navigation, all-weather approaches
and landings, surveillance, maintaining required separation between
aircraft, and pilot situational awareness. GPS signals are low-power by
design, to allow them to be based on satellites, but this low-energy
environment also makes them susceptible to interference from other radio
transmissions. For this reason, only low-powered satellite-based signals
historically have been permitted in the radio frequencies that are closest
to GPS bandwidth.
LightSquared, a privately held broadband provider, proposed to the
Federal Communications Commission to deploy 40,000 high-powered,
ground-based transmitters in the radio frequency spectrum that is directly
adjacent to GPS bandwidth. Rigorous industry and government testing recently
demonstrated that, if the proposal was allowed to proceed, GPS would be
inaccessible over large regions of the United States at altitudes normally
flown by airliners. As a result, airline pilots would lose a fundamental
navigation tool that is particularly important in mountainous terrain,
remote areas, and bad weather.
Along with immediate operational issues, jeopardizing GPS would also
seriously undermine existing efforts to modernize the U.S. ATC system. ALPA
strongly supports airspace modernization through NextGen (see
“From ‘Shrimp Boats’ to Satellites”) and its potential to improve
safety, increase capacity and efficiency, and reduce aviation’s
environmental effects. The FAA has already invested more than $1 billion in
GPS-based technology that is designed to replace radar-based surveillance of
air traffic, and as NextGen continues to mature, GPS will become
increasingly important.
ALPA Negotiations Update
The following is a summary of the status of ALPA contract negotiations by
airline as of July 15, 2011:
Air Transport International—A tentative agreement (TA) was reached on
Dec. 3, 2010. On March 14, the pilots voted against ratification. Mediation
continues.
Air Wisconsin—A Section 6 notice was filed on Oct. 1, 2010. Negotiations
continue August 9–11, September 7–9, and October 4–6.
Atlantic Southeast—A Section 6 notice was filed on May 20, 2010.
Negotiations are under way. A joint Section 6 notice was filed on March 28,
2011. See ExpressJet.
Continental—Negotiations are under way on the Continental/United joint
collective bargaining agreement (JCBA). The parties requested assistance
from the National Mediation Board (NMB) on Dec. 17, 2010. Mediation is under
way.
Comair—A Section 6 notice was filed on Sept. 27, 2010. Negotiations
continue August 29–September 1 and September 12–16.
CommutAir—A Section 6 notice was sent on Feb. 2, 2009. An application for
mediation was filed with the NMB on Dec. 2, 2010. Mediation continues August
8–12; September 6–9, 12–16; October 10–14; and October 31–November 4.
Evergreen—Negotiations began in December 2004. ALPA became the pilots’
bargaining agent in November 2007. A tentative agreement was reached on
April 16, 2010. The pilots voted against ratification on Aug. 16, 2010.
Mediation continues August 8–11.
ExpressJet—A Section 6 notice was received on May 28, 2010. A joint
Section 6 notice was filed on March 28, 2011. Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet
joint negotiations continue July 26–28; August 1–3, 9–11, 16–18, 23–25;
September 6–8, 13–15, 20–22; October 4–6, 18–20, 25–27; and November 1–3.
First Air—A notice to bargain was filed on Oct. 1, 2010. Negotiations are
under way.
Mesa—A Section 6 notice was filed on Sept. 10, 2010. Negotiations
continue.
Piedmont—A Section 6 notice was sent on March 13, 2009. An application
for mediation was filed with the National Mediation Board on April 21, 2010.
Negotiations are under way.
PSA—A Section 6 notice was sent on Jan. 19, 2009. Negotiations continue
July 25–28, August 29–Septem-ber 1, and September 19–22.
Sun Country—A Section 6 notice was sent on Feb. 23, 2010. Negotiations
are under way.
Trans States—A TA was reached on July 8. In the coming weeks, the pilots
will vote on ratifying the TA.
United—A Section 6 notice was sent on April 6, 2009. Negotiations
continue on the United/Continental JCBA. See Continental.
Mailbag
Thank you
I would like to thank the Air Line Pilots Association for the award I was
given at this year’s National SAFECON competition. It was a great honor to
receive the Regional Top Pilot Award. This award is something I have been
working toward since I began my flight training four years ago. I have used
the monetary award to obtain my aircraft dispatcher rating to further my
credentials with the goal of obtaining a job as an airline pilot in upcoming
months.
Thomas Fogarty, Lewis University Flight Team
Invasive searches
I have an artificial knee and always set off the metal detector when
going through security screening. Since the new patdowns were implemented,
I’ve been going through searches that are increasingly invasive. I go
through when I commute to work and again each day I fly, for a total of
about five times a week. It has become very uncomfortable.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers often start by
running their fingers through my hair, which is very short with clearly no
place to hide weapons. Then they put their fingers roughly in my collar,
then pat my chest, armpits, groin, and often my feet. I routinely take off
my belt and shoes to save time, because they will normally X-ray them
anyway. The searches are humiliating and violating.
When scanners are available, I opt to go through those to avoid a patdown.
I do not have a problem with this, but sometimes they pat you down
afterwards if they fail to “resolve” the image. I do not really take
advantage of the private screening. Perhaps I should, but I am usually
pressed for time.
I view this more as a labor issue than an abuse of government power, but
I do not know how constitutional law (4th Amendment) applies to this.
I feel that ALPA should push harder to get the Known Crewmember program
immediately implemented at all airports so that other pilots don’t have to
experience what I’ve gone through.
F/O David Kramer (ExpressJet)
Editor’s note: ALPA agrees that passenger-style security screening of
airline pilots is not appropriate and has long championed an alternative
form of airport screening for all airline pilots. In response, the TSA
approved and implemented ALPA’s CrewPASS concept at three airports. The
latest evolution of that program, Known Crewmember (KCM), is soon to be
tested at MIA and ORD, with five more “test” airports scheduled to go online
within a few more weeks. Pending the successful conclusion of a 90-day test,
dozens more airports are planned to be equipped with KCM later this year.
ALPA’s goal is to see this program expanded nationwide as quickly as
possible.
“Good old days”
Long ago when Charley Ruby was ALPA’s president, I was the Master
Executive Council chairman at North Central Airlines. (I’m 89 now and was
able to successfully solve the sudoku in the June/July issue of Air Line
Pilot, so perhaps it was too easy—though it took me two days to solve
it.) ALPA was still located in the headquarters that Dave Behncke built
across the street from Midway Airport then. Charley soon moved ALPA to
Washington, the right thing to do, although I opposed the move at that time.
There have been a multitude of problems since those “good old days,” and
ALPA has been right on top of each one of them.
Capt. Oak Mackey (Northwest, Ret.)
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