Aviation Organizations for Pilots

Professional aviation organizations not only offer unique services to their members, but they also provide a voice on behalf of their members that holds a lot of weight with regards to influence and power. Each organization represents its own individual sector of the aviation industry. The organizations that I’ve chosen to highlight are the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

AOPA is an organization that caters to pilots and those who own their own aircraft. AOPA offers multiple services to their members including aircraft insurance opportunities, financing options for purchasing aircraft, along with legal and medical services for its pilots. AOPA also offers an assortment of safety and training services for its members. “AOPA and the Air Safety Institute offer a wide variety of resources specifically tailored to your flying life” (“Training & Safety,” 2016). AOPA also offers its members a variation of aviation magazines that not only focus on stories relating to pilots, but also dive into industry news and must-read stories from other sectors of aviation. The services offered through AOPA to aircraft owners and pilots is second to none and fairly competitive when considering the yearly membership dues of around $60 a year.

ALPA is an organization that “represents and advocates from more than 54,000 pilots at 31 U.S. and Canadian airlines” (“What We Do,” 2016). ALPA is a well-known union in the airline industry and prides itself on the services it provides its pilots. According to their web-site ALPA “provides three critical services to its members: airline safety, security, and pilot assistance; representation; and advocacy” (“What We Do,” 2016). ALPA is a voice for airline pilots when it comes to the decision-making process involving congressional and federal agencies. ALPA also serves as a crucial representative for pilots as a key negotiator of pilot contracts with airlines. Additionally, ALPA offers several other resources for pilots beyond union representation. Recourses such as safety seminars, professional training opportunities, aeromedical services, and regulatory interpretation seminars are just a few of the services available to ALPA members. ALPA works hard to keep pilots in the loop with regards to the most current rules and regulations that may affect airline pilots.

As I stated above, professional aviation organizations such as AOPA and ALPA provide a voice and representation in the realm of advocacy. As we operate in one of the most highly regulated industries in the world, it is crucial to have the backing of a well-known and respected organization that will have your best interests in mind.

References

Air Line Pilots Association. (2016). What We Do. Retrieved from  http://www.alpa.org/about-alpa/what-we-do#

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. (2016). Training and Safety. Retrieved from https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety

Aviation Emissions

When looking at aviation’s contribution to our overall emissions, it is helpful to look at two different types of emissions, the first being local air quality pollutants (near the ground) and the other being greenhouse gases (emissions at altitude). It’s important to note that as aviation grows as an industry, there will also be an increase in the amount of emissions produced by aviation transportation vehicles. According to the FAA (2005), “currently aviation contributes 0.4 percent” of the national NOx (harmful pollutant) inventory (p. 4). The FAA (2005) also stated that when compared to aviation, emissions from road transportation modes out number aviation emissions (p. 8). The FAA (2005) further stated that because an aircraft is operated at altitude, most of the emissions would not have a ridiculous affect on local air quality on the ground (p. 8).

            In the same source above, published by the FAA (2005), the transportation industry was cited for making up about 27 percent of the national emissions of greenhouse gases where aviation is about 2.7 percent of the national inventory (p. 10). We can see that the aviation industry does in fact contribute to air pollution, however as of this 2005 report, it is a fairly small number. With that said, the FAA (2005) does project that “aircraft greenhouse gas emissions in the US will increase 60 percent by 2025” (p. 10).

            With this projection, and others like it, comes a need to combat the harmful emissions produced by aircraft. In October of this year the UN ratified an agreement in Paris, one of which the US was a part of, to govern emissions from international airline flights. Joan Lowy (2016) reported that the agreement sets airlines' carbon emissions in the year 2020 as the upper limit of what carriers are allowed to discharge” (para. 2). “Airlines that exceed that limit in future years, as most are expected to do, will have to offset their emissions growth by buying credits from other industries and projects that limit greenhouse gas emissions” (Lowy, 2016, para. 2).

            This is arguably the first major step the UN has provided towards limiting the amount of pollutants produced by international airlines. The first phase of the plan, covering 2021 to 2027, is voluntary for UN members and becomes mandatory from 2028 through 2035. The 15-year plan is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 2.5 billion tons (Lowy, 2016, para. 7). According to Lowy (2016), “the deal applies only to international flights, which account for about 60 percent of aviation” (para. 10). The Paris agreement also calls for new emission reduction regulations to be put into place. The is an agreement that our new president-elect is not on board with. Donald Trump has stated that “the climate change deal is bad for US business and said that the pact allows foreign bureaucrats control over how much energy we use” (BBC, 2016, para. 12). He further commented that "any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely,” and that “we’re going to do all this while taking proper regard for rational environmental concerns” (BBC, 2016, para. 5 & 6).

            While I fully believe in responsibly taking measures to ensure that our environment is looked after, especially in with regards to aircraft emissions in a growing aviation industry, I think that the responsibility should first fall on the airline operators and aircraft engine manufacturers before we move onto a UN agreement. I say give the engineers more of a chance in reducing the carbon footprint left by their engines. Lowy (2016) stated in her article that US airlines “carried 24 percent more passengers and cargo in 2015 than they did in 2000, while improving their fuel efficiency by 31 percent and emitting 6 percent less CO2” (Lowy, 2016, para. 18). I think our efforts should be focused more on engineering a way to reduce emissions rather than taking the time and effort to set up a system of trading carbon credits.

References

BBC News. (2016). Donald Trump Would ‘Cancel’ Paris Climate Deal. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36401174

Federal Aviation Administration. (2005). Aviation & Emissions A Primer. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/policy_guidance/envir_policy/media/aeprimer.pdf

Lowy, J. (2016, Oct. 6). UN Agreement Reached on Aircraft Climate-Change Emissions. U.S. News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2016-10-06/un-agreement-reached-on-aircraft-climate-change-emissions

            

Global Airlines

The Open Skies Agreement is an air transportation agreement between US and European airline companies that allows for any member of the agreement to fly between US and European airports without worrying about the conflicting rules and regulations of each country involved. With regards to a global airline, the US Department of State (“Open Skies Agreements”, 2016) claims that with over 100 partners, including several US airlines, that

“America’s Open Skies policy has gone hand-in-hand with airline globalization. By allowing air carriers unlimited market access to our partners' markets and the right to fly to all intermediate and beyond points, Open Skies agreements provide maximum operational flexibility for airline alliances.”

As of today, there are several members of the Open Skies Agreement that have received government subsidies. Jill Zuckman who spoke on behalf of the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies claimed that Gulf air carriers such as Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad airlines “combined have received more than $42 billion in government subsidies since 2004” (Sumers, 2016, para. 7). Receiving government subsidies a violates the Open Skies Agreements made by these Gulf carriers. Zuckman further stated that the amendment is in place to keep airlines from charging “prices that are artificially low due to direct or indirect government subsidiary or support” (Sumers, 2016, para. 7). All of the Gulf carriers listed above are either fully owned, or owned through a subsidiary of their respective governments.

On the flip side of the argument, foreign carriers such as Emirates claim that “it had not depended on government subsidies, bail-outs, and bankruptcy laws, as some US carriers did” Sumers, 2016, para. 15). This led to another argument on who considers what a federal subsidy. While the claims made by Emirates aren’t all necessarily monetary ones, several US airlines have received help in the past from the US government. Bill McGee (2015) highlights that

“Bankruptcy reorganization laws afford US carriers advantages many foreign airlines don’t enjoy, particularly when Chapter 11 is used to dismiss debts and freeze wages. American, Delta and United – and most of the carriers they merged with recently – have all filed for bankruptcy” (para. 15).

Along with the topic of subsidies comes the argument of the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank and wide-bodied aircraft purchases. The Ex-Im Bank is a government agency in place to help US businesses sell goods into oversea markets and “assumes credit and country risks that the private sector is unable or unwilling to accept” (“About Us,” 2016). In other words, the Bank may help foreign customers by offering a lower credit risk and better rates. The complaint brought up by US carriers, more specifically by Delta Air Lines, is that “rivals like Air India and Emirates have used Ex-Im guarantees to lower their borrowing costs, then used the savings to cut ticket prices on international routes that compete with Delta or buy still more new jets” (Weisman & Lipton, 2016, Para. 9).

It's clear that the credit break given to foreign carriers purchasing aircraft does pose an unfair advantage to US carriers purchasing similar aircraft at a higher rate. However, there is another side to the coin that should be considered. The purchases of American manufactured aircraft, from domestic or foreign carriers is good news to those of us who work for US aircraft manufactures such as Boeing. Aircraft sales mean the aircraft must be built, which yields good, American jobs for those of us qualified to work in that sector of the industry.

From the prospective of US carriers, I understand how the reduced loan credit, which leads to cheaper foreign air carrier fares, can be viewed as unfair. It makes life hard on US airlines trying to compete against foreign carriers. On top of that, US airlines must compete with government owned and funded foreign airlines who can tap into their government’s resources if need be. When viewing both arguments, I would have to say that US airlines are on an uneven playing field with foreign carriers.

References

Export-Import Bank of the United States. (2016). About US. Retrieved from http://www.exim.gov/about/?gclid=CjwKEAjwwOvABRC08aedoZ_lnTMSJACs_cbutYUNROY-hPlNk9375PZ0Pp4n2_CILXykOwJl4ClhTRoCsd_w_wcB

U.S. Department of State. (2016). Open Skies Agreements. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/e/eb/tra/ata/

Weisman, J., & Lipton E. (2015, April 6). Boeing and Delta Spend Millions in Fight Over Export-Import Bank’s Existence. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/business/boeing-delta-air-lines-export-import-bank.html?_r=0

Sumers, B. (2016, June 28). U.S. Airlines set to Lose Major Battle Against Gulf Carriers in Open Skies Debate. Retrieved from https://skift.com/2016/06/28/u-s-airlines-set-to-lose-major-battle-against-gulf-carriers-in-open-skies-debate/

McGee, B. (2015, Sept. 2). How Much do Taxpayers Support Airlines? Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/mcgee/2015/09/02/how-much-do-taxpayers-support-airlines/71568226/