Category Archives: ALPA

JetBlue and Fidelis sign agreement for 92 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), pilots receive aid from ALPA

JetBlue Airways and Fidelis New Energy, LLC have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide JetBlue with at least 92 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Fidelis’ Grön Fuels GigaSystem™ at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge in Louisiana. This SAF is expected to be delivered over the five-year term with a targeted start date of 2025.

With this MOU, Fidelis’ negative carbon intensity SAF is helping JetBlue advance toward its goal to reach 10 percent of its total fuel usage as SAF on a blended basis by 2030. JetBlue is the only US carrier to be flying regular domestic flights using both available SAF producers delivering today and continues to support the emerging SAF market with significant commitments as the airline continues to grow its SAF mix. The SAF from the Grön Fuels GigaSystem is innovatively designed to achieve negative lifecycle carbon intensity by integrating carbon capture & sequestration (CCS) and biomass energy with CCS (BECCS).

Designed to be the largest and highest efficiency purpose-built renewable fuels facility in North America, the Grön Fuels GigaSystem will produce an estimated 1 billion gallons per year (65,000 barrels per day) of sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and other low carbon products. Grön Fuels further enhances its efficiency and industry-leading carbon intensity by capturing waste process heat to generate power, producing biogas from byproducts and using its highly flexible processing capabilities to produce carbon negative SAF from a wide array of existing and emerging low carbon intensity feedstocks.

In other news, JetBlue Airways pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), were approved for a $5 million grant from ALPA’s Major Contingency Fund after this week’s round of contract negotiations with management resulted in insufficient progress to yield an agreement acceptable to the pilot group.

In order to avoid possible labor strife, management must come to the bargaining table with proposals that appropriately value its pilots with contractual compensation improvements. This grant creates a “war chest” that can be used for events, informational picketing, advertising, and other prominent media activities to highlight the need for a new pilot contract.

The pilots have been negotiating for short-term extension that is narrowly focused on a few economic improvements to bring their contract in line with the rising market for pilots at other airlines—before JetBlue engages in potentially lengthy merger discussions. An extension would spare management the need for full contract negotiations and allow them to focus on the merger. The pilots’ current four-year contract became amendable on August 1, 2022. The pilots are driving for negotiations to conclude before the end of 2022, with the last negotiating session scheduled for December 13–14.

Top Copyright Photo: JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N661JB (msn 3228) (Spotlight) LAS (Jay Selman). Image: 404228.

JetBlue aircraft photo gallery:

Alaska Airlines pilot leadership to send strike-authorization vote to pilots

ALPA issued this statement:

After three years with very little movement at the bargaining table, the Alaska Airlines pilots are taking the next steps to try to move negotiations forward. The pilot union’s leaders at Alaska Airlines unanimously voted to conduct a strike-authorization ballot among their pilots. This means union leaders are officially requesting the Alaska Airlines pilot group, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association Int’l (ALPA), give them the authority to go on strike when legally permitted to do so. This would only happen if negotiations break down and the federal government authorizes a walkout after the parties exhaust the required procedures of the Railway Labor Act.

The Alaska Airlines ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC), voted 11 to 0 today to conduct a strike-authorization ballot that will open on May 9 and close on May 25. Once passed by the pilots, the vote would authorize the pilot leadership to declare a strike when the group is given permission to do so by the National Mediation Board (NMB).

“Alaska pilots are not looking to strike. We are looking for improvements to our contract in line with the market but that will also allow our company to grow and remain successful and competitive,” said Capt. Will McQuillen, chairman of the Alaska Airlines ALPA MEC. “However, we are willing to take any lawful steps necessary, including a legal strike, to achieve the contract every Alaska pilot has earned.”

This strike-authorization vote comes at the heels of the Alaska pilots’ April 1 all-base picket, where more than 1,500 Alaska pilots and their supporters showed up to picket on their time off to demonstrate their collective resolve to reach an agreement. This historic picket was the largest of its kind in ALPA’s 90-year history. Currently, there are approximately 3,100 ALPA pilots at Alaska Airlines.

“We lag behind our peers in several significant areas which has resulted in dozens of pilots leaving for better career opportunities elsewhere. If Alaska Airlines management wants to run a competitive airline with ample growth, then they need to get serious about reaching a new pilot agreement that’s competitive that provides job security, stronger work rules, and enhanced quality-of-life provisions that provide flexibility and reasonable schedules,” added McQuillen.

Before a strike could take place, the NMB would have to release the two sides from mediation. Then, after a 30-day cooling-off period, both parties could exercise self-help—including a strike by the union or a lockout by the company.

Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots, Flight Attendants detail serious safety concerns due to shutdown

On Day 33 of the government shutdown, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) President Joe DePete, and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) President Sara Nelson released the following statement:

“We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines, and the traveling public due to the government shutdown. This is already the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States and there is no end in sight. In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented.

“Due to the shutdown, air traffic controllers, transportation security officers, safety inspectors, air marshals, federal law enforcement officers, FBI agents, and many other critical workers have been working without pay for over a month. Staffing in our air traffic control facilities is already at a 30-year low and controllers are only able to maintain the system’s efficiency and capacity by working overtime, including 10-hour days and 6-day workweeks at many of our nation’s busiest facilities. Due to the shutdown, the FAA has frozen hiring and shuttered its training academy, so there is no plan in effect to fill the FAA’s critical staffing need. Even if the FAA were hiring, it takes two to four years to become fully facility certified and achieve Certified Professional Controller (CPC) status. Almost 20% of CPCs are eligible to retire today. There are no options to keep these professionals at work without a paycheck when they can no longer afford to support their families. When they elect to retire, the National Airspace System (NAS) will be crippled.

“The situation is changing at a rapid pace. Major airports are already seeing security checkpoint closures, with many more potentially to follow. Safety inspectors and federal cyber security staff are not back on the job at pre-shutdown levels, and those not on furlough are working without pay. Last Saturday, TSA management announced that a growing number of officers cannot come to work due to the financial toll of the shutdown. In addition, we are not confident that system-wide analyses of safety reporting data, which is used to identify and implement corrective actions in order to reduce risks and prevent accidents is 100 percent operational due to reduced FAA resources.

“As union leaders, we find it unconscionable that aviation professionals are being asked to work without pay and in an air safety environment that is deteriorating by the day. To avoid disruption to our aviation system, we urge Congress and the White House to take all necessary steps to end this shutdown immediately. “

Pilot unions unite to fight attempts to eliminate pilots from the flight deck

International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued this statement:

Today, at the 64th Air Safety Forum, hosted by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), the unions representing the pilots of nearly 50 commercial airlines joined together to voice their opposition to a dangerous set of provisions that were added to the FAA reauthorization bill passed earlier this year by the U.S. House of Representatives. Sections 744 and 703(a)(xviii) would authorize a new FAA research and development program in support of single-pilot all-cargo operations utilizing remote-piloting or computer-piloting technology, and ALPA, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), the Independent Pilots Association (IPA), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), want Congress to know how reckless passage of a bill with this provision would be.

Pilots are trained to operate an aircraft while interacting with air traffic control; communicating with Dispatch; checking current weather and forecasts; visually scanning for other aircraft; and monitoring engines, fuel, and other systems. In nonroutine situations, the workload on the flight deck can increase significantly in a short time period. Addressing these situations requires at least two well-trained, fully qualified pilots to communicate in real time without delay or the potential for a lost connection.

“ALPA adamantly opposes FAA Reauthorization Section 744 and will continue to use every resource we have to ensure that this anti-safety provision is not enacted,” said Captain Tim Canoll, ALPA president. “The inclusion of this unacceptable provision serves as an existential threat to aviation safety and security, the general public, and the airline piloting profession.”

“Cargo and passenger carriers operate the same high-performance jet aircraft, share the same congested airspace, and fly over the same densely populated areas. There’s no logical reason to apply different standards to each,” said Capt. Dan Carey, president of APA. “Given the threat posed by computer hacking and the accident rates for autonomous vehicles and military and civilian drones, it’s astonishing that policymakers would even consider this notion. APA is adamantly opposed to the language in Sections 744 and 703(a)(xviii), and we urge Congress to remove it to help preserve public safety.”

“This technology is neither mature, nor proven to a level of confidence capable of assuring a higher level of safety than that which can be attained by two highly qualified, highly trained professional airline pilots on the flight deck,” said Lee Collins, CAPA president. “Having the ability to do so in a lab under controlled circumstances does not mean we should do it in our national airspace system now or at any time in the future.”

“The Teamsters Union strongly opposes FAA Reauthorization Section 744, a dangerous provision that would put aviation safety in jeopardy. Aviation is the safest form of transportation thanks to the regulations and procedures that have been developed over the years, of which the two-person cockpit is a critical component. This provision poses serious risks to the lives of aviation professionals and the public, and we are committed to ensuring that it is not enacted,” said Capt. David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Division director.

“The safety of commercial aviation relies heavily on the experience and coordination of a crew to operate complex aircraft worldwide,” IPA President Robert Travis. “Anything less than two pilots physically in the cockpit will significantly increase risk, especially during emergency operations, when timely actions are coordinated and implemented by each crewmember based on real-time information. Our national aviation system and the general public below the flight paths of aircraft operating within that system cannot afford this unwarranted and unnecessary step backwards in safety.”

“The two-person flight deck model exists not for the sake of redundancy, but to promote safety through shared decision making and communication,” NJASAP President Pedro Leroux said. “Any effort to replace a pilot on the flight deck with unproven automation technology vulnerable to hacking and connectivity issues is an imprudent move that undermines the safety of the flying public, places an excessive burden on professional flight deck crewmembers, and jeopardizes the integrity of the national airspace system.”

“Air travel has never been safer. In fact, 2017 was the safest year in aviation history. Yet, the U.S. Congress is attempting to pass legislation that would allow operators to eliminate one of the most vital safety features of commercial aviation—two pilots in the cockpit. There is no doubt that two well-qualified and well-trained pilots operate as a team in the cockpit and are important contributors to our industry’s ever-improving safety record. We demand that Congress continue to protect the flying public and the crews that operate commercial aircraft by keeping two pilots in the cockpit. No amount of cost savings is worth putting people at risk,” said Capt. Jon Weaks, SWAPA president.

About the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 60,000 pilots at 34 airlines in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit alpa.org.

About the Allied Pilot Association
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Tex., APA serves as the certified collective bargaining agent for the 15,000 professional pilots who fly for American Airlines. APA was founded in 1963 and is the largest independent pilots’ union in the world. APA provides a broad range of representation services for its members and devotes more than 20 percent of its dues income to support aviation safety. For more information, visit alliedpilots.org.

About the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations
CAPA is a trade association representing more than 30,000 professional passenger and all-cargo pilots at carriers including American Airlines, UPS Airlines, ABX Air, Horizon Airlines, Southern Air, Silver Airways, Allegiant Air, Miami Air, Cape Air, Omni Air, Atlas Air, and Republic Airline. For more information, visit capapilots.org.

About the Independent Pilots Association
The IPA is the collective bargaining unit representing the more than 2,500 professional pilots who fly for United Parcel Service, the world’s largest transportation company. The IPA is headquartered in Louisville, Ky. For more information, visit ipapilot.org.

About the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women, including 90,000 members in aviation, throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

About the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
Founded in 2008 as an independent labor advocate, the NJASAP represents the professional interests of the 2,700-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation Inc. For more information, visit njasap.com.

About the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association
Headquartered in Dallas, Tex., SWAPA is a nonprofit employee organization and the sole bargaining unit for the more than 9,400 pilots of Southwest Airlines. SWAPA, now in its 40th year, works to provide a secure and rewarding career for Southwest pilots and their families through negotiating contracts, defending contractual rights, and actively promoting professionalism and safety. For more information, visit swapa.org.

FedEx pilots’ union leadership approves the the tentative agreement

The FedEx Master Executive Council (MEC), the governing body of the FedEx Express (Memphis) unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), voted to approve the tentative contract agreement reached on August 19 with FedEx management.

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The agreement now goes before more than 4,000 FedEx pilots eligible to vote in balloting that is scheduled to begin September 28, 2015, and close on October 20, 2015.

The new agreement provides across-the-board increases to hourly pay rates and new-hire compensation, a significant signing bonus that addresses the time elapsed since the agreement was amendable, retirement plan enhancements, and work-rule improvements. If ratified, the contract will go into effect November 2015 and would become amendable in 2021.

Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300B4-622R (F) N728FD (msn 581) climbs away from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).

FedEx Express aircraft slide show: AG Airline Slide Show

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ALPA applauds the new FAA standards for First Officers

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The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) has hailed the announcement by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the agency is increasing the minimum qualification requirements for first officers (copilots) who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines. The new regulations, which go into effect on August 1, reflect ALPA’s efforts on several fronts and incorporate several ALPA recommendations.

In addressing ALPA members about the significance of the new rule, the Association’s president, Capt. Lee Moak, noted, “ALPA was instrumental in helping to develop these regulations through its participation on the related FAA-industry Aviation Rulemaking Committee, by working with the FAA and airline industry stakeholders, and by submitting extensive comments on the proposed rule.

Directed by Congress, the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010 called for increased minimum requirements for airline first officers. The new rule mandates that airline first officers hold an air transport pilot (ATP) certificate or the new “restricted ATP.”

An ATP certificate requires, among many other qualifications, that the pilot be at least 23 years old and have logged at least 1,500 hours of flight time.

The “restricted ATP” will require pilots to be at least 21 years old with

  •  750 flight hours if they are military-trained and qualified,
  • 1,000 flight hours if trained in a four-year college or university-accredited aviation training program leading to a bachelor’s degree, or
  • 1,250 flight hours if trained in a two-year college aviation program leading to an associate’s degree.

Pilots who obtain their certificates and ratings via non-structured general aviation flight training can qualify for the restricted ATP at age 21 with 1,500 hours of flight time.

The new rule also requires, per ALPA’s recommendation, that first officers be “type rated” in the aircraft they fly in airline service—i.e., receive special training and testing on operation of that specific aircraft type.

To upgrade to captain, an airline copilot will have to log at least 1,000 hours of flight time as an airline copilot, as pilot in command (PIC) in certain small and charter airline or commercial general aviation operations, or any combination of these situations. The flight experience does not have to be obtained at the pilot’s current airline.

Military PIC time (as much as 500 hours) in a multi-engine, turbine-powered, fixed-wing airplane in an operation requiring more than one pilot may also be credited towards the 1,000 hours.

At ALPA’s urging, the FAA has not changed the type of medical certification required for airline first officers—they will still be required to hold a second class FAA airman medical certificate.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 50,000 pilots at 33 airlines in the United States and Canada.