Eighty-eight years ago on July 27, 24 “Key Men” led by Capt. Dave Behncke, founded the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). During the early days of air travel, pilots lacked many basic safety provisions. Capt. Behncke, ALPA’s first president, had the foresight to bring pilots together with one goal: to advance aviation safety—and that goal remains the core of our mission today. ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world, growing to more than 62,000 #TrainedforLife men and women pilots at 35 airlines in the United States and Canada.
ALPA pilots safely transport hundreds of thousands of passengers and tons of cargo around the world every day, and our dedication to safety has helped make our aviation system the safest in the world. Join us in celebrating 88 years of safe flying as we continue to advance safety for the next generation of commercial airline pilots and those who travel with us.
Watch to see how we’ve kept flying safe since 1931.