ATI Pilots Question Airline’s Readiness for Prime Days

As the largest Amazon Air carrier, Air Transport International (ATI) has supported Amazon’s two-day delivery guarantee since 2016. The ATI pilots have growing concerns over understaffing affecting their ability to perform up to the standards expected by Amazon, especially during next week’s Prime Days—generally the busiest two days of e-commerce each year.

ALPA to DOT: Close Part 135 Loophole, Abuse of Regulations Puts U.S. Air Safety at Risk

In a new filing yesterday regarding SkyWest’s application to roll back the clock and skirt the aviation safety rules that have led to a 99.8 percent reduction in airline passenger fatalities in the United States, ALPA called on the Department of Transportation to close the Part 135 loophole that is currently being exploited by the airline JSX.

On July 1, U.S. mobile wireless providers ended most of the self-imposed limitations of their 5G signal transmissions in the radio frequencies that are adjacent to the radio frequencies used by aircraft radar altimeters. The end of the self-imposed limitations means that aircraft must have upgraded altimeters installed or be subject to operating limitations.

The ALPA Air Safety Organization published an Operations Bulletin last week with more information and recommended actions for flight crews.

Jumpseat Reminders: Make the Walk, Use ALPA Flight Finder

The busy summer travel season is well underway, and with that comes high demand for the jumpseat. On Friday leading into the July 4 weekend, TSA screened its highest-ever number of passengers in a single day. Remember to “Make the Walk” to ensure that no pilot needing a jumpseat is left behind at the gate.

Access to ALPA’s Jumpseat Flight Finder requires you to log in to the ALPA app with your ALPA ID. Once logged in, you can search for the most efficient way to reach a destination, even if the routing requires numerous connections on participating cargo and/or passenger airlines.

Jumpseating tips:

• Take a Seat in the Cabin: If available, taking a cabin seat or flight attendant jumpseat frees up the flight deck jumpseat, allowing an OAL pilot to get to work or home.
• Delete Your Listing: If you prelist for a flight, delete your listing if you find a different ride. This reduces gate agent confusion when assigning the jumpseat.
• Use the ALPA App: The ALPA app’s Flight Finder and Jumpseat Information pages have current details you will need to jumpseat on your own or other airlines.
  

Take These Actions Now to Keep U.S. Skies Safe!

Action 1: Ask Your Friends and Family to Add Their Voices in Support!
The safety and reliability of air transportation affect all Americans, so we have launched a Call to Action for your friends and family to add their voices to ours. Please share it in any way you can—text, e-mail, and social media. Together we can stop Congress from passing harmful legislation!

Action 2: Preserve Current First Officer Qualification Standards
As a professional airline pilot, you know how important safety is. Some proposals in Congress would weaken current air safety regulations and place airline profits ahead of aviation safety. ALPA strongly opposes any attempts to dilute safety standards and is committed to blocking any efforts to roll back critical aviation safety regulations.

Please join us in calling on Congress to support the current first officer qualification standards and to oppose any attempts to diminish commercial airline safety regulations. Contact your member of Congress today!

Action 3: Stop Attempts to Raise the Retirement Age
Some airlines are intent on diverting attention away from their failure to effectively manage air-service operations as travel continues to pick up the pace following the pandemic. These airlines’ executives are pushing a false narrative about pilot availability—and saying they can fix their invented “problem” if the mandatory retirement age for U.S. airline pilots is raised above age 65.

The reality is that raising the pilot retirement age beyond 65 would take the United States out of compliance with international standards. It could upend pilot bidding, reduce pilot utilization, create training backlogs, and potentially require hard-fought-for collective bargaining agreements to be reopened to deal with this issue and its ramifications.

ALPA strongly opposes this effort, and your union’s elected representatives reaffirmed this position in a vote during last fall’s Board of Directors meeting. Please join this Call to Action to help stop any attempts to raise the mandatory retirement age beyond 65 for U.S. pilots.

Aircraft Security Barriers: Continued Efforts Toward “One Level of Safety and Security”

Your union’s advocacy efforts on aircraft security have seen encouraging movement in recent weeks. Last month, Reps. Chuy Garcia (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Cargo Flight Deck Security Act of 2023 (H.R. 3909), which would ensure one level of safety and security for all pilots and airline operations, regardless of payload or flight mission. This week, ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi sent a letter to the House of Representatives urging support of the bill. If enacted, this legislation would close the loophole that currently allows all-cargo airlines to operate without an intrusion-resistant flight deck door, which was a recommendation for all airliners by the 9/11 Commission to limit access to the flight deck by unauthorized personnel.

On the heels of the DOT’s June issuing of the long-overdue final rule mandating the installation of secondary barriers on all newly manufactured aircraft within two years, ALPA also sent similar letters to both the House and the Senate urging all members of Congress to enhance airline security by installing secondary barriers in the existing aircraft fleet. Redoubling our efforts to pass the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act (H.R. 911/S. 911) to address the retrofitting of existing airliners, we will soon launch Calls to Action for your engagement on this critical security measure. Stay tuned for more information.

Military and Veteran Pilots: FAA Reconciliation Letters and Form 8500-8 Instructions

It is imperative that veteran pilots who received a letter from the FAA directing them to reconcile the reporting of any current or past Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits on Form 8500-8 (Application for Airman Medical Certificate, MedXPress) take immediate action, if you haven’t done so already, to meet the July 31 deadline. Failure to comply may result in negative action against you by the FAA.

More details are available in the June 22 FastRead.

Article VIII Charges Against Capt. Lee Moak (DAL, Ret.)

An internal ALPA hearing board has sustained charges under ALPA’s Constitution and By-Laws brought by the Delta and FedEx Master Executive Councils (MECs) against Capt. Lee Moak, former ALPA president (2011–2014). The charges sustained by the hearing board concerned services he performed for an outside entity subsequent to his ALPA service and retirement that the MECs believed, and the hearing board found, acted contrary to the interests of ALPA and its members. The hearing board has determined that he be expelled from ALPA. Capt. Moak has chosen not to appeal this decision.

15 Things Pilots Approaching Retirement Should Know

Are you getting ready for retirement? According to ALPA’s database, roughly 18,500 ALPA members are age 55 or older. Preparation for retirement starts as early as your first day on the job and lasts your entire career. However, the years approaching retirement age become increasingly crucial. Our Retirement & Insurance Team has compiled several general guidelines applicable to both U.S. and Canadian members. For specific financial advice, we recommend that you contact a tax or financial planner.

Flying the Line Vol. 2: Frank Lorenzo Grabs Continental

How did early airline deregulation advocate Frank Lorenzo orchestrate an aggressive takeover of the much larger Continental Airlines using his Texas International Airlines as the net? Find out in Episode 19 of ALPA’s Flying the Line Vol. 2 podcast!

Stream now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PodBean, or your favorite podcast platform (search: “Flying the Line”).

Follow Volumes 1 and 2 of Flying the Line to learn about the many challenges ALPA has overcome to emerge as the most powerful and influential airline pilot union in the world. Look for new episodes every two weeks—hit the subscribe button and be the first to know when a new episode drops!

Flight Finder, DART, and More in the ALPA App—Download Now

The ALPA app keeps you connected with your union wherever you go, and our free jumpseat Flight Finder tool is unmatched by other available products. If you aren’t using the ALPA app, here’s what you’re missing:

• Flight Finder: Search passenger and cargo jumpseats and get real-time flight status alerts!
• Data Action Report (DART)
• Breaking news updates
• Your membership card
• Known Crewmember
• Jumpseat policy information
• ALPA’s Worldwide Accident/Serious Incident Hotline (the “orange card”)
• Pilot Peer Support
• Documents from ALPA, your MEC, and your LEC

Download the app today and log in with your ALPA credentials for quick access to member content.

ALPA represents more than 74,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the United States and Canada.
Visit us online at www.alpa.org.