The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is a labor union to claims to have more than 61,000 members who are pilots working for nearly 40 different airlines operating out of the United States and Canada. ^[1]

ALPA takes credit for numerous campaigns to pass new aviation regulations, including safety and security measures. In particular, the association claims that the significant reduction of risks that could lead to accidents during the early 2000s was the result of policy changes that “reflect ALPA’s input, advocacy, and engagement with government and industry.” ^[2]

Political Stances

While Air Line Pilots Association is ostensibly focused on advocating for the interests of airline pilots, it also places a significant emphasis on promoting left-progressive race and gender ideology, both among its members and within the industry. Specifically, the association considers it a priority to re-engineer the process of recruiting and training commercial pilots in order to increase the number of pilots from minority backgrounds. ALPA has suggested that the demographics of flight crews must change to better match the demographics of their passengers, and that airlines must prioritize creating a workplace environment that “contributes to positive social changes.” ^[3]

COVID-19 Pandemic

Air Line Pilots Association supported using taxpayer funds to bail out the aviation industry in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for flights dropped significantly due to travel restrictions and passenger concerns. The association “activate[d] its pilots” and encouraged them to urge lawmakers to set aside pandemic relief funds for airlines. ALPA claims that the public pressure campaign it conducted, which included sending letters to members of Congress and generating publicity on social media, drove more than 150,000 messages to legislators. A spokesperson called it “by far one of the most successful campaigns we’ve ever launched.” The federal government ended up reserving $61 billion in taxpayer funds to support the airline industry. ^[4]

ALPA supports mass vaccination as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and does not oppose vaccine mandates. When the government of Canada implemented a vaccine mandate for all federally regulated industries, including aviation-related professions such as pilots, air traffic controllers, and aviation mechanics, the association reiterated its support for vaccines. ALPA’s Canada chapter president Tim Perry issued a statement calling for airline pilots to be included among those professions prioritized for vaccination. While he requested that authorities negotiate with aviation industry employees and their unions before implementing vaccine mandates, he made it clear that ALPA considered vaccines to be “essential” to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[5]

ALPA also came out in support of the United States government’s promotion of vaccines, particularly the one offered by Pfizer-BioNTech. When the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, endorsing its use by individuals as young as 16, ALPA issued a statement celebrating the decision and reiterating its support for mass vaccination, both within the aviation industry and across society as a whole. ^[6]

Campaign Spending

Unusually for a labor union, ALPA and ALPA-associated political committees give extensively to members and committees affiliated with both major political parties. In the 2016 through the 2020 election cycles, party splits (as defined by OpenSecrets) ranged from 63 percent to 37 percent in favor of Democrats to 56 percent to 44 percent in favor of Democrats. ^[7]

Financials

Air Line Pilots Association maintains a “welfare benefit plan” for its member pilots. Between 2010 and 2018, the annual revenue of this fund fluctuated between $12 million and $17 million but grew to more than $22 million in 2019. Most of the funds for the welfare benefit plan come from member fees and other program services. ^[8]