Release #: 20.10
May 13, 2020

ALPA Praises “Heroes Act” for Mandating Public Health Guidelines

Vows to Continue to Push Airline Bankruptcy Reform


MCLEAN, Va.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for introducing new legislation that will enact key public health initiatives to protect airline crewmembers and passengers while travelling. The Heroes Act, H.R. 6800, mandates that airlines follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommendations (outlined in Safety Alert for Operators 20009) for COVID-19 health monitoring, employee exposure notification, and workplace cleaning and disinfection.

“Keeping all aviation workers and passengers safe is key to a strong aviation industry, which is why ALPA pilots have been working tirelessly for a mandate that airlines follow essential health precautions,” said Capt. Joe DePete, ALPA president. “More than 300 of our members have tested positive for the coronavirus, and we continue to receive numerous pilot reports demonstrating that the current voluntary, patchwork approach is not resulting in compliance with these critical public health protocols. Without this congressional requirement, rates of sickness will continue to rise—and our industry will continue to suffer.”

ALPA has been working with government officials for months to identify meaningful solutions to protect public health, U.S. jobs, and the global economy. Specifically, the Heroes Act would require:

  • Face coverings for all crew and passengers while traveling;
  • Proper cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitization of aircraft, including the flight deck; and
  • Employee notification of COVID-19 cases in the workplace.

The bill does not include a provision that would reform the airline bankruptcy process and ensure that employees are not harmed during an airline restructure, but ALPA pledged to continue to fight for these changes.

“ALPA knows that a strong industry recovery from COVID-19 will likely take many months, if not years. Currently, the CARES Act protects airline workers from involuntary furloughs and offers them certain protections through September 30, but these workers may be faced with significant hardship and deficient safeguards if demand for air travel does not return in the short term. We know far too well the devastating effects that bankruptcy has on airline employees, and we will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that the bankruptcy process cannot be exploited in the future,” added DePete.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 63,000 pilots at 35 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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