We know that the most vital safety feature on a commercial airliner is at least two experienced, trained, and rested professional pilots on the flight deck—and as our passengers begin to return to the skies, we are delivering this message loud and clear so travelers know that airline pilots are More Than Ready to get them safely to their destinations this holiday season and beyond.
Significant technological advances in weather monitoring, automation, navigation, surveillance, communications, and information-processing contribute to the impressive safety record of the U.S. airline industry, but the job of piloting an airliner isn’t something that can safely be done solo. More than a decade of research by NASA and the FAA has shown that all these systems work best when there are at least two pilots on deck—one pilot flying and one pilot monitoring aircraft status, weather, and operations.
Yet, there are those who think the industry can save money by having only one pilot on a flight without jeopardizing safety. They are just plain wrong.
That’s why, as the world carefully emerges from the pandemic, ALPA has launched a public-awareness campaign called “More Than Ready” that makes clear to decision-makers, passengers, and cargo shippers that reducing the number of pilots in the flight deck is a safety risk nobody should want to take.
Throughout what is traditionally the busiest travel season of the year, our message will be seen and heard across social media, news media podcasts, websites, e-newsletters, and more—all targeted at decision-makers, regulators, and their staff, as well as the flying and shipping public.
As we continue to face many threats to our jobs—and to the safety and security of the skies—we stand More Than Ready to respond, adjusting our advocacy efforts in the United States and Canada to advance our pilot-partisan agenda and protect the hard-fought gains ALPA pilots have made over nine decades.