This week, ALPA delivered its pilot-partisan agenda to the 117th Congress, industry stakeholders, and members of the news media through a weeklong series of events, aptly titled “Aviation Policy Week,” bringing to center stage the Association’s newly developed policy priority blueprint.
Through letters to all Members of Congress, meet and greets with the newest Members of the House and Senate, and a media roundtable that brought a dozen journalists into conversation with ALPA’s president, we made it clear that our recommendations on issues ranging from COVID-19 and climate change to fair competition and pilot rest requirements are critical for our industry, our customers, and our communities.
The week of activities culminated with a special spotlight on policy recommendations that would finally address safety concerns with all-cargo operations. While many of the same federal regulations apply to both passenger and cargo airlines, lesser requirements are used for all-cargo operations in several crucial areas, which results in unnecessary safety risks. ALPA has long been a proponent of “one level of safety” for all commercial flight operations.
In the coming months, we will continue to advocate on behalf of these priorities and more. Our policy blueprint, a white paper titled “Battling the Pandemic, Rebuilding Our Economy, and Connecting the World,” addresses the myriad of challenges ahead.
Air transportation is essential to our economy, and airline pilots are uniquely suited to fly America out of this crisis. We are confident that the industry will emerge—stronger together.