ALPA Pilots Press DOT Secretary for Level Playing Field

ALPA pilots stood front and center with a call for the U.S. government to level the playing field for U.S. airlines as U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx addressed the Aero Club of Washington at a luncheon today. Capt. Moak was invited to join the secretary at the head table.

During the Q&A following Secretary Foxx’s formal remarks, Capt. Jud Crane (Delta), a member of the Delta MEC Government Affairs Committee, asked, “How can the Department of Transportation help level the playing field for U.S. carriers and their employees who are facing competition from state-owned, state-subsidized airlines who are exploiting perceived loopholes in Open Skies agreements?”

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Latest FAA Interpretations of Part 117

The FAA has just issued another Part 117 legal interpretation dealing with diversions (de Cubas Interpretation). When a need for a diversion arises after takeoff, that diversion does not count as an additional flight segment and there is no change to the number of flight segments used to determine the applicable FDP limit using Table B or C to Part 117. However, a planned fuel stop that is known prior to takeoff would not be treated as a diversion and would count as an additional flight segment and require a new FDP calculation.

The February 20, 2014, ALPA FASTread accidently reversed two Part 117 interpretations. We apologize for the confusion. Here are the accurate attributions:

The FAA has issued two Part 117 interpretations. The first (Edwards Interpretation) clarifies that the fitness for duty must be certified for each flight segment, and the flightcrew member cannot certify fitness for the entire FDP when he or she first reports for duty. The second (Healy Interpretation) provides that the 12-hour notice requirement for pilots on long-call reserve applies only when the pilot is assigned an FDP that begins before and operates into the WOCL.

View photos from the conference.

New Reps Learn the Ins and Outs of ALPA

Recently elected ALPA pilot leaders have gathered this week for the Association’s annual Leadership Training Conference. Nearly 70 pilots from 16 airlines—approximately a third of the Association’s Board of Directors—are learning about what it takes to effectively serve as local council officers and the many products, templates, and services the Association provides to help them better manage their responsibilities.

ALPA president Capt. Lee Moak spoke to the conference attendees about the many strengths of the Association and why it’s important for airline pilots to work together. “We need to focus on the 95 percent of the things we have in common,” he said, noting that because we come together as one union, “ALPA is the advocate for airline pilots.” Moak then shared a top 10 list of priorities pilot reps should consider to maintain their authority and credibility as they manage their council affairs.

Read more about the Leadership Training Conference.

It’s All About the Kids

On February 18, the Delta Pilots Charitable Fund allocated $13,000 to help groups helping kids in real need in four ways: the Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett, the L.A. Police Athletic League and Cadet Program, and the children of the LAX TSA officer slain in the line of duty last year. Since its inception, the DPCF has granted more than $1 million to more than 50 children’s charities.

One Level of Safety for All Pilots Now: Pass the Safe Skies Act

ALPA safety representatives attended the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigative hearing into UPS Flight 1354, an all-cargo flight which crashed on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., on August 14, 2013.

Pilot fatigue emerged as a focus area during the investigative hearing. Investigative materials from the NTSB hearing discussed crew scheduling and pairing for UPS pilots Captain Cerea Beal Jr. and First Officer Shanda Fanning. While the first part of the pairing through the accident flight was consistent with the new flight- and duty-time regulations, FAR Part 117, this was only coincidence. Because of the loophole in Part 117, UPS, like all cargo carriers, is not required to create schedules consistent with the improvement in safety provided by these science-based standards and programs. The FAA erroneously excluded cargo from the new flight- and duty-time regulations, and ALPA has been working diligently to correct this error with the passage of legislation—the Safe Skies Act—which would include cargo in the new rest rules.

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Support the Saracini Aviation Safety Act

Captain Lee Moak sent a letter to members of Congress urging support for H.R. 1775, the Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2013.

In 2001, Congress mandated the installation of reinforced cockpit doors on most commercial aircraft as the first step toward preventing another 9/11-style breach of the cockpit. Airlines are required to use procedures to protect the cockpit when the reinforced door is opened during flight for pilots’ meals, restroom use, and other reasons. To provide better security, secondary barriers were developed to block access to the cockpit whenever the cockpit door is open during flight. Voluntary airline industry movement toward adopting secondary barriers began in 2003, but commitment to deploying these devices has since waned. The Saracini Aviation Safety Act is a bipartisan bill that simply fulfills the intent of Congress from more than a decade ago to make cockpits more secure. ALPA is asking all pilots to tell their representatives to cosponsor this bill today. ALPA members can write their representatives using our Call to Action system here!

ALPA Responds to NAI’s Request to DOT for Foreign Air Carrier Permit

The Air Line Pilots Association Int’l (ALPA) joined forces with the Transportation and Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and the European Cockpit Association in filing a response to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting that the agency deny Norwegian Air International (NAI) a foreign air carrier permit that would allow it to fly in the United States. The filing argues that NAI seeks to establish itself as an Irish carrier to avoid Norway’s labor and other social laws, and new claims the company has made to justify its request are unsubstantiated.

“DOT is charged with encouraging fair wages and working conditions and ensuring that U.S. air carriers have a strong competitive position in the global marketplace,” said Capt. Lee Moak, president of ALPA. “NAI’s business scheme does not pass the test and is inconsistent with both directives, therefore the application should be rejected.”

Read full release here.

ALPA-PAC Announces New Club Level

Last week, the ALPA-PAC Steering Committee officially announced the creation of a new PAC level. The Behncke Circle recognizes ALPA’s rich heritage of serving pilot members since 1931. The circle is named after ALPA’s founder, Dave Behncke, who prioritized political action. This distinction is for those contributors who are following in his footsteps by reaching $1,000 in contributions over a calendar year ($83.34/month). Just as Behncke did as he worked to build and expand our union, the members of this club know the necessity of having a well-funded, well-organized political presence in Washington, D.C. You can join the Behncke Circle here.

The local representatives at UAL Council 33 (DEN) immediately responded by becoming the very first council to have 100 percent of its elected leaders enrolled in the Behncke Circle. Captain Vince Zagarella, First Officer RJ Wolf, and incoming Secretary-Treasurer Steve Knopf are all part of the inaugural Behncke Circle class. Congratulations and a special note of thanks goes out to Council 33 for their tremendous leadership as the PAC fights to create a pilot-partisan future.

The descriptions of the Air Line Pilots Association PAC are not a solicitation to contribute to the PAC. Only ALPA members, ALPA executives, and senior administrative and professional staff personnel, and their immediate family members living in the same household are eligible to contribute to ALPA-PAC. ALPA-PAC maintains and enforces a policy of refusing to accept contributions from any other source. ALPA members may learn more about ALPA-PAC and about contributing to ALPA-PAC by entering the members-only portion of this website.