Buckshot of Industry Quotations Supports Urgent Action, Signature Expected This Week

Despite the fact that the legislation to keep the FAA going has hit the home stretch, it hasn't crossed home plate yet - and stakeholders are a little miffed.

As the vote crawled through Congress, the Air Line Pilot Association, International blasted the press wire with a buckshot of quotations from anyone and everyone within the greater aviation industry. It's apparent that they want to throw their full force behind the bill this time, urging action so the industry can finally return to "normal", with an operating FAA. Apparently they were successful, in any case, since Congress passed the bill at a 387-26 ratio the day after their work. It’s interesting to see, after the fact, just how vital the legislation is to stakeholders. Now that the legislation has made its way through the House and Senate, it needs only be signed off by the President to enter effect.

First up, they cited Jason Ambrosi, their own chief, who said "It is imperative that the House of Representatives pass this bipartisan FAA Reauthorization bill that will strengthen our nation's aviation system without lowering the bar on safety." 

Next up, ALPA quoted Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, who said "this bipartisan agreement strengthens safety standards, supports workforce growth and enhances aviation infrastructure. From addressing industry staffing crises to carving out key protections for workers and travelers alike, this legislation meets the moment for aviation workers on the job every day and hundreds of millions who travel by air each year...We urge the House to adopt that bill and send it to President Biden's desk without delay."

Representing the tradies in the mix, the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO backed up such an assertion. "As the largest transportation labor federation in the country, representing hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, we urge the House of Representatives to swiftly pass the 2024 FAA reauthorization bill." Greg Regan, president of the arm, said that "The bipartisan bill will sustainably grow the aviation workforce, improve quality of service for passengers, and enhance industry safety as a whole."

After the bill passed the House, ALPA’s Jason Ambrosi quickly congratulated them for their work, saying “Today’s final passage of the FAA reauthorization bill is a major step forward for the safety and security of our nation’s skies. By beating back efforts to lower standards and advancing the protections that have created the safest period in aviation history, we will further strengthen our industry and keep flying safe for passengers, cargo, and crew. We are grateful for the overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate, and for the thousands of ALPA members who worked tirelessly to ensure this deal maintains our world-leading pilot-training standards and rejects attempts to arbitrarily raise the pilot retirement age, which would have introduced uncertainty into the U.S. aviation system and interfered with collectively bargained agreements.”

FMI: www.alpa.org