ALPA ADVANCING AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY SINCE 1931

Release #: 21.18
March 24, 2021

ALPA Unveils Policy Priorities for Future of U.S. Aviation


McLEAN, Va.—The passage of the Payroll Support Program helped keep tens of thousands of aviation workers on the job, a critical move that helped stabilize the industry. Now poised for recovery, the aviation industry must rebuild and reconnect the world. The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), with 90 years of aviation knowledge and experience, is prepared to move forward a pilot-partisan agenda that reinforces safety and puts U.S. workers first as we begin the industry’s restoration.

ALPA’s new priorities white paper, Battling the Pandemic, Rebuilding our Economy, and Connecting the World, offers sensible policy recommendations for rebuilding a strong, sustainable airline industry.

“Thanks to the historic pro-labor, job-saving Payroll Support Program, airline pilots avoided mass layoffs and are poised to play a critical role in the aviation industry’s economic recovery,” said Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA president. “Airline workers have proven time and again that they are willing to work with our airline partners to protect public health and safety and ensure aviation remains on strong economic footing, and these policy initiatives will help propel us on that flight path.”

The Association’s policy recommendations include:

  • Ensuring U.S. workers receive the opportunity to exercise their right to organize as well as to compete internationally,
  • The installation of secondary barriers to protect crews and passengers against terrorist threats,
  • Creating a more environmentally sustainable industry,
  • Safely sharing and modernizing the national airspace for new entrants, and
  • Ensuring a strong, highly trained, diverse pilot pipeline.

ALPA has also reiterated strong solutions that will help enhance the overall safety and security of all-cargo specific operations. Aviation stakeholders must work together to prevent dangers posed by fatigued pilots and finally bring one level of safety and security to all airline operations. Ensuring that cargo pilots have the same flight, duty, and rest requirements as their passenger-carrying counterparts will do just that.

“The aviation sector has been essential in battling the pandemic and will be critical in restoring our economy. As we build back, we must work toward a stronger and more sustainable airline industry. By coming together with concrete policy solutions, we can ensure that the U.S. airline industry—and the trillions of dollars of economic activity it creates—will safely, securely, and efficiently soar into the future with qualified, well-trained pilots at the helm,” added DePete. 

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 59,000 pilots at 35 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org