JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 n OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL January/February 2011 Air Line Pilot 1 Stay Connected ALPA has many ways to keep you up-to-date on everything ALPA. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube RSS Feeds TO LEARN MORE, VISIT www.alpa.org/stayconnected A member service of Air Line Pilot. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 • VolUmE 80, NUmBER 1 41 Mesaba 42 North American 43 Piedmont 44 Pinnacle 45 PSA 46 Ryan 47 Spirit 48 Sun Country 49 Trans States 50 United 22 Bearskin 51 Wasaya About the Cover COMMENTARY ALPA’s new team. From left, 23 Calm Air 4 Aviation Matters Capt. Randy Helling, vice It’s Time for the Follow- 24 CanJet president–finance/treasurer; Through Capt. Sean Cassidy, first vice 25 Capitol Cargo president; Capt. Lee Moak, 5 Weighing In 26 Colgan president; and Capt. William The Constant of Change 27 Comair Couette, vice president– administration/secretary. FEATURES 28 CommutAir Photo by Jocelyn Augustino. To view a 11 A Q&A with Capt. 29 Compass page-turning Lee Moak, ALPA 30 Continental version of President this issue, 31 Delta scan the Q.R. image on the SPECIAL SECTION 32 Evergreen left with your 33 ExpressJet smartphone. 13 The Pilots of ALPA New to the technology? Down load 34 FedEx a Q.R. reader to your phone, scan 14 AirTran the code, and read the magazine. 35 First Air 15 Air Transat DEPARTMENTS Air Line Pilot (ISSN 0002-242X) is pub lished 36 Hawaiian monthly, except for the combined January/ 16 Air Transport 7 Preflight February and June/July issues, by the Air 37 Island Air Line Pilots Association, Inter national, affili- International Facts, Figures, and Info ated with AFL-CIO, CLC. Editorial Offices: 38 Jazz 535 Herndon Parkway, PO Box 1169, 52 Industry News Herndon, VA 20172-1169. Telephone: 703- 17 Air Wisconsin 481-4460. Fax: 703-464-2114. Copyright © 39 Kelowna Future of Aviation Advisory 2011—Air Line Pilots Association, Inter- 18 Alaska Committee Presents Final national, all rights reserved. Publica tion in Flightcraft any form without permission is prohibited. 19 American Eagle Recommendations Air Line Pilot and the ALPA logo Reg. 40 Mesa U.S. Pat. and T.M. Office. Federal I.D. 20 ASTAR 53 Shaping History 36-0710830. Periodicals postage paid at Excerpts from Flying the Herndon, VA 20172, and additional offices. 21 Atlantic Line I and II Southeast 54 We Are ALPA ALPA Resources and Contact Numbers 43 AviationMatters It’s Time for the Follow-Through every resource available to implement CrewPASS. It’s taken far too long, but we’re going to make it happen. We’re not he beginning of every going to let petty politics and parochial self-interests stand in New Year is a time the way of getting CrewPASS implemented and sooner rather than later. to reassess, and 2011 is Getting CrewPASS implemented will be just one of many T obstacles we will overcome as the world’s largest and strongest no differ ent. This year, your pilot union. How? We will make every reasonable and rational move on the board and engage with every party that can have union will demonstrate how an effect on our professional lives and careers if it helps us to ALPA is the most powerful achieve our strategic goals. We’ll move forward with a renewed focus. If we can make it happen, we will make it happen. aviation union in the world, Eighty years ago, visionaries paved the way to ALPA becom- ing what it is today—the preeminent voice of airline pilots. And bar none. today, ALPA remains the most powerful advocate of line pilots. And although these visionaries paved the way, generations Many factors contribute to this state- after generations of airline pilots have welcomed the burden ment—history, safety record, etc.—but we have two strengths that are un- matched by any other pilot union. The long with my fellow first: we represent more than 53,000 airline pilots at 38 airlines. It is statisti- elected national officers cally verifiable—we are the largest. The and the collective second: ALPA staff. Our immeasurable amount of knowledge and experience support of all ALPA cannot be duplicated. A members, we’re going to carry Together, we make a formidable team. We’re 53,000 pilots that torch, not only for the 53,000 from all different walks of life, flying all different kinds of equip- ment, routes, passengers, and cargo. From time to time, we will members in this union today, but have our differences, but we cannot and must not let those also for the generations of pilots differences define our relationship. Instead, we must focus on the overwhelming amount we have in common and work who will follow us. together to move our profession forward. But we don’t have to do it alone. We’re backed by the best professional staff in the industry. We don’t outsource to and weight that comes along with actively engaging with professional negotiators when we’re in Section 6 negotiations airline industry partners around the world to ensure that airline because we don’t have to; we already have 42 of the best in pilots are not taken for granted. Each generation in its time has the industry on our staff. Pilot groups from around the world vowed to carry forward the priorities of airline pilots. seek out the expertise of our Economic and Financial Analysis Now it’s my turn. Along with my fellow elected national Department, which provides an incredible amount of special- officers and the collective support of all ALPA members, we’re ized data. The Retirement and Insurance Department special- going to carry that torch, not only for the 53,000 members in ists tailor each and every one of the plans for our 38 pilot this union today, but also for the generations of pilots who will groups to meet each group’s unique needs. follow us. On the safety front, ALPA is considered the conscience of It’s time to execute our plan. the airline industry due to the life-long advocacy efforts of our And, it’s time for follow-through. dedicated pilot representatives and Engineering and Air Safety Department staff. Improving aviation safety and security goes to our very core and continues to rank high on our priority list. But we can’t rest on our size and talent alone. We have to execute. One of my first orders of business will be to deploy Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA President 4 Air Line Pilot January/February 2011 WeighingIn The Constant of Change As I assume this office, I am indebted through our access to the inner circles of By Capt. Sean Cassidy to the last administration for the inroads labor, industry, and government and we ALPA First Vice President it made over the past 4 years. I am also are a force to be reckoned with when it Change is the law of honored to serve with Capt. Lee Moak, comes to improving our careers and our incoming ALPA president, and Capt. Tim families’ quality of life. life. And those who Canoll (Delta), incoming executive ad- In addition to being proponents for look only to the past or ministrator, as well as incumbents Capt. change in the traditional areas we are present are certain to Bill Couette, vice president–administra- all familiar with, we also have to be very miss the future. tion/secretary, and Capt. Randy Helling, cognizant of the changes beyond our vice president–finance/treasurer. back yard, because one of the biggest —John F. Kennedy I am excited by the potential energy catalysts for change in the landscape A brief introduc- that resides within our 53,000 members of our profession will almost certainly tion: I’m 46 years and our experienced and qualified staff. come from abroad. Pressure to loosen old, married with That is a very powerful combination, foreign control and ownership rules, the two young boys, and am a Seattle- I hope that by looking forward and based B-737 captain for Alaska focusing on opportunities rather than Airlines, where dwelling on obstacles, you, too, will view I’ve worked for the prospect of change as an opportunity 14 years. Born in 1964, I fall somewhere between the baby to strengthen our union and our boomers and Generation X. As someone profession. who learned to fly in the military and who now flies for an airline that does and together we will ensure that ALPA proliferation of offshoring labor, and the short-haul, long-haul, cargo, and interna- not only continues to be recognized as increasing influence of transnational alli- tional flying, I hope that my background the voice of our profession, but that our ances and corporate entities dictate that and generational perspective will allow influence continues to expand around we must expand our global perspective, me to transcend boundaries relating to the globe. presence, and strategy. We must develop the experiences, successes, and travails Deploying CrewPASS and advocating a plan that acknowledges the inevitable of our 38 pilot groups in the United for changes to the outdated flight-time/ effects that globalization will have on us. States and Canada. duty-time regulations are among the For the sake of our airlines and our jobs, Before January, I was the Alaska pilots’ Association’s top priorities. We will also we must be prepared to execute on that Master Executive Council (MEC) chair- find ways to enhance and defend our plan. man and also served two terms as vice collective bargaining agreements, move As my friends and family will tell chairman.