ALPA to U.S. DOT: Dreamjet is a “Far Cry” from NAI

On Friday, May 9, ALPA made a filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation in which it described the differences between Dreamjet’s and Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) applications for a DOT foreign air carrier permit. Joined by the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and the European Cockpit Association, ALPA contrasted Dreamjet’s garden variety application with NAI’s attempt to avoid Norwegian labor law.

Read the entire release | Learn more about the issue at “Leadership from the Cockpit”

ALPA Gains Greater Use of Jumpseat in Canada

Following many months of ALPA advocacy, Transport Canada (TC) has lifted a long-standing flight deck jumpseat restriction which prohibited its use by commuting pilots unless no seats were available in the aircraft cabin. By exemption to Subsection 705.27(3) of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARS), TC ended the prohibition that was put in place after the events of 9/11. The CARS now permit Canadian air operators to offer the seat to commuting pilots on domestic flights; the regulations also maintain Captain’s Authority by stipulating that permission to occupy the jumpseat is granted by the pilot-in-command.

Although the amendment is presently applicable only to “commuting” pilots (i.e., those who are in travel status to or from a flight assignment), ALPA is working with TC to broaden the jumpseat travel rights to all authorized and properly identified pilots, regardless of work status.

Where Is the Delta MEC?

Turns out, they will be all over. Next month, the Delta MEC, along with LEC representatives, Negotiating Committee members, and various other committee members, will travel to six domiciles to hold informal discussions on the issues facing Delta pilots. The group will visit Salt Lake City (SLC), Minneapolis (MSP), San Diego (SAN), Cincinnati (CVG), Detroit (DTW), and Dallas (DFW). For further details and to RSVP, visit the Delta Pilot Network at www.deltapilotnetwork.org.

Leading the Way: First Air Installs In-Flight Data System

As airlines worldwide examine ways to improve their ability to identify safety problems on aircraft in flight in the wake of the Malaysian 370 mystery, flightcrew members at Canada’s First Air have collaborated with management to make their airline one of the first to install such a system. First Air is the launch customer for the FLYHTStream system, which automatically begins live-streaming selected flight-recorder data via satellite to a ground station if an aircraft experiences difficulty while airborne.

First Air became interested in the system several years ago because it does most of its flying in remote, rugged parts of the Arctic. Weighing safety improvements against the need to ensure all data is used only for safety purposes, the First Air MEC has agreed to allow the restricted use of streaming in-flight data under only three very limited conditions: an engine fire, an engine failure, or a loss of pressurization. These are all events where the flight crew would initiate the “event” process under their current SOP. First Air hopes to launch the new system in the next few weeks throughout its fleet of ATR and B-737 combis and B-767 and Hercules freighters.

Contract Compliance at Compass—It’s Being Tracked

With a new six-year contract now signed and in place, the Compass Airlines MEC is setting up a system to make sure management follows the agreement. After more than a year of work, Compass’s Contract Committee has created a new online Dispute Tracking System where pilots at the Delta Connection carrier can log in and report potential contract compliance problems. The URL for the new site is cpzpilotissue.alpa.org.

Compass pilots can log in to the site and file a report with supporting documentation—including pay stubs, schedules, e-mail correspondence and the like—whenever they suspect management is violating the contract. The Contract Committee will review the information and determine whether a violation has occurred. The system is secure, private, and password-protected, and pilots who file reports can track the progress of their issue by logging in and reviewing the report status.

KCM Opens in the Big Easy

On Friday, May 16, the Known Crewmember (KCM) program will expand to include Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). With the addition of MSY, KCM will be available in 47 airports across the United States. KCM is a risk-based security screening program that enables TSA officers to positively verify the identity and employment status of airline crewmembers. KCM facilities are dedicated security screening lanes for use by prescreened airline personnel that allow passengers in separate lines to move through TSA checkpoints with less delay. Testing of risk-based screening for flight crews began in 2008 and was approved by the TSA for expansion in 2009. As a result of ALPA’s successful partnerships with Airlines for America and the TSA, KCM has evolved into a robust nationwide program, having screened more than 16 million transits to date.

Learn more at www.knowncrewmember.org or on the KCM tab of the ALPA app for iPhone and Android users.