As the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held its midpoint progress report today on their top 10 most wanted improvements to transportation safety, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) reiterated calls for additional important safety recommendations.

It is both sad and unsurprising that some are using the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico to attack the Jones Act -- a maritime cabotage law that protects good U.S. jobs and ensures the U.S. military has sealift capability in times of war or conflict. Sad because the crisis in Puerto Rico is real and the people there need and deserve help from our government, but more to the point, undermining the Jones Act will not solve the problem.  It is unsurprising because ALPA knows that foreign interests will find just about any excuse to try and weaken U.S. cabotage rules at the expense of U.S. workers and fair competition.    

On September 23, Women in Aviation International (WAI) chapters around the world held events to celebrate Girls in Aviation Day 2017. ALPA members were enthusiastic about pitching in to help with this important initiative to ignite girls’ enthusiasm for the aviation industry. Through its Education Committee, ALPA coordinated with WAI and provided informational materials to support local efforts. Pilot volunteers also participated in several different events to connect with young girls and inspire them to consider careers as professional airline pilots.