Right now, the same airline pilots who fly your family for a vacation and deliver products for your business, large and small, are now fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 public-health crisis—transporting doctors, nurses, and medical personnel to the outbreak hotspots and keeping global supply chains moving to provide essential medical supplies. These same airline pilots are also helping strengthen the U.S. and Canadian economies by flying goods and services that drive commerce.

As the world confronts COVID-19, airline pilots are doing our jobs: safeguarding passengers and freight while bringing people, goods, and services together to drive the global economy. As your captains and first officers, we need Congress to do its job by swiftly providing economic assistance to stabilize the airline industry and protect the frontline aviation workers who help keep our skies safe and our country moving.

Government leaders are currently working on a third relief package that may include much-needed support for airlines. It is imperative that swift action be taken to ensure the viability of our industry and that frontline aviation workers are not left behind. ALPA is adamant that any airline relief program must include strong labor protections to ensure that frontline aviation employees and their families receive much-needed assistance.   

September is the most active month of the Atlantic hurricane season in the United States. This means that thousands of ALPA members could potentially be impacted by severe weather or catastrophic flooding. When disaster strikes, ALPA’s Pilots for Pilots (P4P) program stands ready to help fellow pilots with immediate financial assistance to anyone who is affected.

When Hurricane Hermine landed last year, it pushed four to six inches of salt water throughout the home of Capt. John Valine (Delta). “The damage was devastating,” he said. “Every possession we owned that was within five inches of the floor was now damaged by salt water.”