Source: TSA The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed Thursday by the President includes funding to bring TSA employee compensation to a level commensurate with other federal agencies. It also supports funding to expand collective bargaining rights for our screening workforce. After years of advocating for fair pay for TSA employees, the provision allows the agency to bring pay rates in alignment with other federal agencies, effective July 1, 2023. TSA's frontline employees, Transportation Security Officers (TSO), have generally been paid up to 30% less than their federal counterparts. The bill also included funding for expanded collective bargaining rights for TSA's non-supervisory TSOs as well as new computed tomography and credential authentication technology acquisitions that will significantly enhance our [...]

Source: FAA Following the Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that pilots and others who perform safety sensitive duties may receive the vaccine under the conditions of their FAA-issued airman medical certification. FAA and contract air traffic controllers, who are subject to FAA medical clearance, may also receive the vaccine. To maintain the highest level of safety in the National Airspace System, the FAA will require the affected recipients of this single-dose vaccine to wait 48 hours before conducting safety sensitive aviation duties, such as flying or controlling air traffic. The waiting period, which accounts for potential side effects, applies to those holding an [...]

Source: ALPA Launch Paid Advertising Campaign as Company Announces Second-Quarter Earnings In advance of the Company’s second-quarter earnings report, FedEx pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), criticized management for dragging its feet and failing to deliver a new, comprehensive contract to its pilots. FedEx pilots have been in negotiations with FedEx management since May 2021, including expedited federal mediation with the National Mediation Board. “FedEx was profitable before the pandemic, became historically profitable during the pandemic, and remains solidly profitable today,” said Capt. Chris Norman, chair of ALPA’s FedEx pilot group. “Now is the time for FedEx to significantly invest in the future success of our company with an industry-leading pilot contract that recognizes the vast [...]

Source: ALPA The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today released updated data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showing that from January through November 2022, there were 8,805 commercial airline pilot certificates (ATP-MELs) issued, once again exceeding analyst forecasts and airline demand for new aviators—and putting the U.S. on pace to break pilot production records this year. In addition to the impressive pilot production numbers, there were a total of 86,774 certified flight instructors, roughly 10 percent more than at the end of 2019, further demonstrating that the commercial airline pilot pipeline remains strong and robust. “The pilot-production pipeline is strong, the aviation industry continues its recovery—and it has never been a better time to become a professional aviator,” said [...]

Source: TSA New customer service texting capability now available The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipates airport security checkpoints nationwide will be busier this holiday travel season compared to last year. TSA expects travel volumes to be close to pre-pandemic levels. The busiest days are expected to be Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, Dec. 30. "During the Thanksgiving travel period, we saw the highest throughput volume since 2019, and we expect that trend to continue over the upcoming holiday travel period," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. "We are prepared for the increased volume and expect to meet our wait time standards of 30 minutes or less in standard lanes and 10 minutes or less in TSA PreCheck® lanes. However, there may be [...]

Source: ACI-LAC The Airports Council International Latin America and Caribbean (ACI-LAC) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), international organizations representing airports and airlines, call on Peruvian society and authorities to ensure the integrity of workers, equipment, and aeronautical infrastructure to guarantee, as soon as possible, the normal operation of air transport in the country. Safety is the primary objective of the aviation industry and cannot be compromised. When this occurs, in any of its parts, the operations must be suspended for the good of the users. Air transport is fundamental to Peru's social and economic development, and the paralysis of the aviation ecosystem is a serious blow to society, the recovery of the economy, and the country's image. ACI-LAC and [...]