Pilots Lobby Congress During Final Day of ALPA’s Legislative Summit

If you were on Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill on June 4, it was hard to miss the legions of uniformed airline pilots crisscrossing the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building to get from one set of congressional offices to the other. Nearly 150 ALPA members participated in 177 meetings with their elected senators and representatives, along with congressional staff, that day, urging policy makers to support key components of the Association’s pilot-partisan agenda.

These coordinated visits concluded ALPA’s 12th Legislative Summit, an annual event held to develop and enhance members’ advocacy skills and to ensure that government leaders understand current aviation priorities from the airline-pilot perspective.

As constituents of federal elected officials, ALPA volunteers had three asks for each of their members of Congress this year.

ATC Modernization

The Association’s contingent from Washington state sat down with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 2021 recipient of ALPA’s Pilot Partisan of the Year Award. The six pilots asked Cantwell to support legislation to reform the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system and invest significant resources to upgrade and modernize facilities, equipment, and staffing.

In May, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art ATC system “that will be the envy of the world,” he said. The proposal, if approved, would address needed improvements in communications, surveillance, automation, and facilities. As the plan states, “Any dollar invested in U.S. airspace is a prudent investment: Aerospace generates 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, the equivalent of $1.25 trillion, and accounts for over two million jobs.” (See Duffy’s Modernization Plan: From the Flight Deck sidebar.)

Sitting in Cantwell’s office in the Senate’s Hart building, F/O James Rankin (Alaska) talked about the antiquated equipment at ATC facilities, including the use of floppy discs to store some agency information and the occasional presence of rotary dial telephones. ATC operations manage more than 50,000 flights a day, and a 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that of ATC’s 138 systems, 51 (37 percent) were unsustainable and 54 (39 percent) were potentially unsustainable.

“We support Secretary Duffy’s plan,” said Rankin.

F/O Laura Theodorson (Delta) acknowledged that a major portion of the annual ATC spending goes to maintaining old systems and that the level of technology from one ATC facility to another differs, creating inconsistencies. Other members of the group, which included F/O Jon Friedman (Alaska), Capt. Jack Sabba (Delta), Capt. James Hinz (Alaska), and F/O Mollie Warren (Delta), talked about air traffic controller staffing shortages, the extended hours current controllers have to work, and the lengthy amount of time it takes to train and prepare a new controller.

Pilot Mental Health

Over in the Longworth building, Michigan residents F/O Logan Brown (Delta), F/O Tom Cross (United), and Capt. Doug Willey (United) spoke to Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI-3), a member of both the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee. The pilots asked the House member to cosponsor the Mental Health in Aviation Act (H.R. 2591), observing that for far too long, the FAA’s slow medical certification process has contributed to a culture of silence and has disincentivized pilots from reporting mental-health issues.

If enacted, the legislation would require the FAA to implement recommendations of the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), of which Capt. Travis Ludwig (United), ALPA’s Air Safety Organization (ASO) Pilot Assistance Group chair, served as the cochair. (He earlier addressed the summit about the ASO’s work on pilot mental health and the importance of this bill.) The ARC identified specific barriers, including culture, fear, stigma, and financial concerns, as some of the reasons that prevent pilots from reporting and seeking help for mental-health issues.

Scholten responded, “This is an effort we’re happy to join.” A week after the pilots’ Capitol Hill visit, the T&I Committee advanced this important bill.

Reduced-Crew Operations

Next door, in the Rayburn building, Capts. Mike Schneider (Alaska) and Andrew Hobin (Alaska) talked with House T&I Committee member Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24). The pilots underscored ongoing efforts related to reduced-crew or single-pilot operations and how these types of operations would greatly jeopardize safety. In addition, they asked Carbajal to send a letter to the DOT, urging the United States to oppose any changes to the current flight deck complement for airlines in the international community.

The ALPA members remarked that Airbus is reconfiguring an A350 flight deck for what it calls extended minimum crew operations. If approved, this policy would permit one pilot to stay on the flight deck on long-haul flights alone in the cruise phase of flight while the other rests elsewhere. They noted that there’s even been talk of installing a toilet on the flight deck to accommodate the remaining pilot. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is currently evaluating this policy.

The pilot leaders of ALPA, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, and the European Cockpit Association have all joined forces to oppose an aggressive, corporate-led lobbying effort aimed at national policy makers and regulators around the globe, including the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Congressional sessions continued throughout the day as ALPA pilots briefed their members of Congress on these three priorities. To ensure their requests are heard, many of these pilots will follow up with their elected officials at their local offices in their home states.

Setting the Stage

Legislative Summit attendees didn’t go into their arranged lobbying sessions “cold.” ALPA’s Government Affairs Department prepared a two-day agenda filled with detailed issue briefings, informative panel discussions covering effective lobbying techniques, and instructive presentations from elected officials and congressional staffers in preparation for these visits. Time was also allotted to allow participating pilots to practice what they’d learned.

“We all have our own elected representatives, which means we all have the opportunity to build a relationship with a decision-maker—especially if you continue the relationships from here back home in your congressional states and districts so that elected leaders come to pilots when they have questions about the airline industry,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, in his opening remarks.

“There’s an old saying in Washington that if you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu,” he observed. “By committing to being at the table anytime the safety or rights of pilots come up, ALPA is continuing a long and proud tradition that has helped make aviation the safest form of transportation in the world.”

Capt. Wendy Morse, ALPA first vice president and national safety coordinator, also addressed summit attendees. “Your presence here matters,” she acknowledged. “The time you spend this week building relationships, telling your stories, and delivering ALPA’s message has a lasting influence. You’re the living, breathing embodiment of our union’s advocacy, and I’m grateful to each of you for stepping forward.

“As you meet with members of Congress and their staffs, I want you to feel confident in what you bring to the table, not just your professionalism, but your unique perspective as airline pilots with firsthand knowledge of how our industry operates,” remarked Morse. “That insight is what drives ALPA’s legislative efforts and gives us credibility in the halls of power.”

Instruction and Engagement

Summit presentations included a panel moderated by F/O Brendan Cantwell (Delta) and Elizabeth Baker, director of the Association’s Government Affairs Department, with several Government Affairs senior staff professionals. Together, this group familiarized the pilots with the dynamics of the 119th Congress. Baker noted the many changes in the governing body’s makeup, including 10 new senators and more than 60 new House members. Jeff Pavlak, manager of Government Affairs; Jill Larrabee, legislative counsel; and Sean Maxwell, senior legislative representative, spoke about the current legislation pending in Congress, including congressional spending bills and the reconciliation package in addition to ALPA’s engagement with the new administration.

Later in the meeting, Baker moderated another panel made up of three pilots who talked about their previous experiences on Capitol Hill and important considerations for making a positive impression.

Capt. Natalie Higdon (Endeavor Air) reminded the pilots to be careful using acronyms that those outside the airline industry aren’t likely to recognize. Hinz discussed the importance of sending thank-you notes and following up after visits, and F/O Andy Rowe (FedEx Express) advised attendees to tell their personal stories as these are often more memorable.

A highlight of every Legislative Summit is the panel discussion featuring congressional staffers. “Effective Engagement and the D.C. Insiders’ View” included panelists Ben Rich, chief of staff for Rep. Nellie Pou (D-NJ-9); Jeff Bishop, chief of staff for Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-6); and Nate Birnbaum, legislative assistant for Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). The three covered considerations like the value of thanking members for their support on previous ALPA issues as well as the importance of staying on point and making a clear “ask” during office visits.

Subject-matter experts gave detailed issue briefings for each of the topics the pilots would address with their elected officials, including presentations from Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, who discussed the importance of ATC modernization. “We’re the persons behind the curtain,” he said, emphasizing that while there are 10,800 certified professional controllers in the United States, the organization needs almost 3,600 more to meet current demands.

Talking about the recent outages at facilities like Newark Liberty International Airport, Daniels commented, “Newark is a symptom of the overall problem.” He pointed out that not one of the nation’s ATC centers is younger than 65 years old and that the entire network needs to be upgraded.

Congressional Keynotes

“Our ATC is woefully out of date,” agreed Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT), the summit’s first congressional keynote speaker. A former aerial firefighter, he also understands the importance of having two pilots on the flight deck. “In an emergency situation, it’s going to be better to have two brains and four hands working the problem,” he told the group.

The following day, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-8), a member of the House T&I Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee, spoke to the summit’s attendees. “We want you to be able to ask for help without losing your job,” he asserted. Stauber, who is the Republican lead cosponsor of the Mental Health in Aviation Act, observed that the most dangerous lawmaker is the person who thinks they know everything. “We need your help to put forth the best legislation.”

Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL-6), a member of the Future of Transportation Caucus and sponsor of the Mental Health in Aviation Act, shared a personal account about what motivated him to introduce the bill. He recounted that the son of a constituent was interested in becoming a pilot. He had some personal issues that he chose not to address for fear that they’d jeopardize his career chances. He later took his own life. Early detection and treatment are important because they can significantly improve an individual’s prognosis and initiate the recovery process.

Casten noted that the bill is bipartisan and that soon they “hope to make it bicameral.”

Photos from the 12th annual Legislative Summit.

This article was originally published in the August 2025 issue of Air Line Pilot.