Advancing Aviation through Advocacy

America isn't facing a pilot shortage. In fact there are enough pilots to meet current U.S. airline hiring needs.

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Two Pilots on the Flight Deck

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Secondary Flight Deck Barriers

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Air Rage Perpetrators

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Training Requirements

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Flags of Convenience

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Cargo Flight Security

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News from the Flight Deck

5 Unintended Consequences of Raising the Pilot Retirement Age

As policymakers work toward a May 10 deadline to pass a new FAA reauthorization bill, special interest groups are lobbying to raise the pilot retirement age to 67, a change that the FAA doesn’t support and that will needlessly complicate air travel just as record numbers of passengers take to the skies. 
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Americans Deserve Reliable Air Transportation

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), along with more than 30 other labor unions, opposes any increase to the mandatory pilot retirement age in the United States, including a House-passed provision that would allow airline pilots between the ages of 65 and 67 to return to flying.
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Congress: Don’t Let Airlines Cut Corners

Some airlines claim the only way to ensure a robust pilot pipeline — one that can adequately serve small and rural communities — is to reduce the country’s commitment to maintaining the highest aviation safety standards in the world. Instead of coming to the table with real solutions for expanding the aviation talent pool, these airlines want to cut corners and take the easy way out by lowering pilot training qualifications and safety standards.
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Capt. Jason Ambrosi: Raising the retirement age for pilots puts America’s aviation system at risk

Our country’s current approach to aviation safety is clearly working — the U.S. is the gold standard for aviation safety around the world. Despite this achievement, lawmakers working on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill are considering introducing new risk and rolling back safety regulations just as passengers are returning to the skies.
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Congress: Prioritize Safety in FAA Reauthorization

Congress must pass a new FAA reauthorization bill before the current law expires on Dec. 31. The stakes for air safety couldn’t be higher, as special interests lobby lawmakers for changes to the law that would weaken training requirements, increase the retirement age and attempt to reduce pilots on the flight deck.
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Colgan Families Join Efforts Pushing Congress to Maintain Current Pilot Training Requirements

Families who lost loved ones in the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 joined ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi and U.S. Reps. Nick Langworthy (NY-23) and Brian Higgins (NY-26) last week to press lawmakers to maintain the regulations responsible for making the U.S. aviation system the safest in the world.
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Capt. Ambrosi to Congress: Keep Air Safety Standards in Place

At a recent congressional hearing, ALPA President Jason Ambrosi told lawmakers that higher safety standards implemented under the Airline Safety Act of 2010 are working and Congress should exercise caution in making changes. “We’re at the safest period in aviation history right now and a lot of that is because of these very rules,” he said. Watch the full clip here.
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Delivering for America

As Americans get ready for holiday travel, airports are packed, planes are full and airlines are reporting record revenue. Unfortunately, some airlines have yet to recognize the extraordinary sacrifices that pilots and other frontline aviation workers made to help them survive the pandemic – and position them for profitability.
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Why are some airlines trying to lower safety standards? We asked a real pilot.

Using false claims of a “pilot shortage,” some airlines are trying to drastically cut the training and qualification requirements that keep our skies safe. But the fact is, higher safety standards are working. Since new regulations were implemented in 2010, airline fatalities have dropped 99.8 percent in the U.S. We sat down with Paul Ryder, a United Airlines pilot, to talk more about this important issue.
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Why did airlines invent a pilot shortage? We asked a real pilot.

There’s much more to the fake narrative than you might think. Amid all the travel chaos this summer with delayed and canceled flights, passengers repeatedly heard one excuse from the airlines: There’s a pilot shortage. But the truth is, there is no pilot shortage. In fact, there are not only more than 1.5 pilots for every job but there are actually more pilots flying today than before the pandemic. We sat down with Paul Ryder, a United airline pilot, to set the record straight.
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Air Safety Forum Focuses on 1,500 Training Hour Rule

Transportation safety authorities and industry leaders speaking at ALPA's 2022 Air Safety Forum last week made one thing clear: Efforts to reduce pilot training due to a fake pilot shortage narrative are misguided. These officials rejected calls to reduce the 1,500-hour pilot training rule.
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Is cutting pilot training really necessary?

Using false claims of a “pilot shortage” as an excuse, the nation’s two largest regional airlines — SkyWest Airlines and Republic Airways — are asking the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to dramatically cut pilot training and qualification requirements at those airlines, putting the lives of passengers and crew at increased risk.
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We Urge Regulators to Safeguard Air Transportation as 5G Expands 

We need collaboration, not experimentation. To ensure our skies and air travel are as safe as possible, the Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) urges federal regulators to halt and address the pending introduction of new 5G frequencies near major airports until its potential effects on a vital aircraft equipment are known.
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A history of being more than ready

As the world’s largest airline pilot union, ALPA has fought for rigorous training and qualification standards, advocated for proven safety measures and regulations, and defended the rights of the professionals responsible for keeping your flights safe.
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1930s
1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
19 33
Limited pilot flight time to 85 hours per month, addressing pilot fatigue.
19 36
Convinced airlines to form some of the first air traffic control centers in the US.
19 40
Advocated for an independent aviation safety board, leading to the creation of the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
19 54
Fought for federal requirement of commercial pilot certificates for all cockpit crew members.
19 56
ALPA’s “T” instrumentation layout becomes the worldwide standard.
19 60
FAA requires weather radar on most large transport aircraft.
19 63
ALPA findings lead to flame-resistant cabin materials and improved fire-extinguishing capabilities.
19 71
Held first airport disaster drill in Oakland, CA; FAA makes these drills a thrice-annual requirement in 1987.
19 72
FAA requires airport operators to obtain a certificate proving they comply with safety standards.
19 75
FAA approves rules requiring ground proximity warning systems in airliners.
19 87
FAA requires Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance in passenger aircraft. Since the introduction of TCAS, no airliner in US airspace has been involved in a midair collision.
19 91
Raised pilot qualification standards by restricting the number of different models that can be included under a pilot’s rating.
19 95
FAA requires smaller airliners to be operated under the stricter safety rules of large 30-seat airliners, due to ALPA’s “One Level of Safety” campaign.
20 02
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act is enacted, incorporating many of ALPA’s recommendations on safety and security.
20 10
The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 is passed, setting higher safety standards for training and certification of pilots.