ALPA Wins: How the 1,500-Hour Rule Transformed Airline Safety

Editor’s Note: In celebration of ALPA’s 95th anniversary this year, this nine-part Air Line Pilot series revisits some of the union’s “wins”—successful campaigns, projects, and products that make public air transportation safer and more secure and that improve the working lives of the union’s members.

ALPA Wins, Part 1: The Association's Rigorous Advocacy and Support for the Latest Pilot-Certification Rule

Despite the North American airline industry’s inherent interests in maximizing profits, safety must take precedent in every aspect of a carrier’s operations. ALPA was founded in 1931 by 24 pilots who recognized the desperate need for basic safety standards in this newly emerging work environment. Like the companies they worked for, the pilots understood the value of their airlines’ stability and solvency but aggressively advocated for greater safety considerations because their lives, and the lives of their passengers, depended upon it.

Fast-forward to the U.S. federal government’s passage of the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, which was signed into law August 1 of that year. While the legislation detailed the agency’s operating budget, it also established an important safety measure that was missing from previous federal aviation regulations—Section 217, Airline Transport Pilot Certification, more commonly known as the “1,500-hour rule.” This directive reset the threshold for pilot hiring at U.S.-based airlines and raised the certification bar for those occupying the right seat on the flight deck. It also adjusted airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate requirements and the qualifications needed to become a captain in FAR Part 121 airline operations.

While much has changed with airline transportation, during the last decade and a half, the requirement for highly qualified, well-trained first officers remains in place. Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA’s president, has repeatedly asserted the union’s strong support for this position, stating, “The traveling public doesn’t deserve to have on-the-job training in an airliner, regardless of whether you’re flying in and out of a large city or a rural destination.”

Requirement Changes, Results

Prior to the passage of the 1,500-hour rule, it was common for many Part 121 regional carriers to hire new pilots with as little as 250 hours of flight time. By contrast, today’s airline first officers must be older than 23 years of age and possess an ATP certificate, which includes a minimum flight experience of at least 1,500 qualifying flight hours (with some exceptions outlined later).

In addition to the 2010 legislation, the FAA stood up the First Officer Qualifications Aviation Rulemaking Committee, providing a forum for a cross section of industry representatives to discuss and provide recommendations on the flight experience and training requirements to fly as a first officer for a Part 121 airline. Cochaired by ALPA, the committee, in its final report, affirmed the merit of the minimum flight hour experience requirement and offered other recommendations.

Since then, evidence of the justification for this important policy adjustment has proved undeniable. During the 20-year period before the new regulation was enacted, the public witnessed nearly 1,100 fatalities related to U.S. airline accidents. Conversely, during the years between the introduction of the new rule in 2010 and 2024, the related fatality rate dropped by 99.8 percent.

Despite two accidents in 2025 and the enormous increase in airspace traffic, including nonconventional entrants like drones and the presence of increasingly routine commercial spaceflight launches, the statistical difference between the periods before and after the implementation of the new rule is substantial. Simply put, the 1,500-hour rule has saved lives.

Setting the Stage

Four airline accidents prompted the first-officer requirements change. On Oct. 14, 2004, Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701, a Bombardier CRJ200 operating as a ferry flight, crashed during an emergency approach to Jefferson City Memorial Airport in Jefferson City, Mo., killing the two pilots. Five days later, Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, a BAe Jetstream 32, crashed on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport in Kirksville, Mo., resulting in 13 fatalities.

In addition, on the morning of Aug. 27, 2006, Comair Flight 5191, a Bombardier CRJ100, lined up on the incorrect runway for takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., and hit the airport perimeter fence, resulting in 50 passenger and crewmember deaths. In all three cases, the NTSB noted among its probable causes that the crews had deviated from standard operating procedures.

The final catalyst was the Colgan Air Flight 3407 accident. On Feb. 12, 2009, the de Havilland Dash 8-Q400 crashed on approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, N.Y., resulting in 50 fatalities. The accident occurred following an aerodynamic stall during a nighttime instrument approach in winter weather conditions.

Again, the NTSB cited the crewmembers’ failure to adhere to certain standard procedures and their failure to properly monitor the operation during a critical phase of flight. In addition, the agency highlighted the need for better pilot training.

Family Awareness

The families of the victims of Flight 3407 continue to staunchly advocate for stronger pilot certification standards. They recognized the shortcomings of the previous policy and actively lobbied members of Congress to ensure that this kind of accident would never occur again. A memorial webpage continues to highlight their efforts.

Prior to the Colgan accident, ALPA had long lobbied Congress for stronger pilot qualification requirements. Commenting on the establishment of this new rule, Capt. John Prater, then ALPA president, observed, “The legislation brings much-needed improvements to aviation safety in the U.S. by addressing many of the pilot screening, training, and certification issues that are the result of the airline industry’s intense focus on the lowest possible operating costs.”

And thanks to the efforts of the Flight 3407 families, the Association, and like-minded aviation industry stakeholders, the 2010 legislation also provided for better pilot record keeping; improved pilot professional development; enhanced training, including upset prevention and recovery procedures; stronger flight- and duty-time limits; and the use of Safety Management Systems.

Minimums and Exceptions

The 1,500-hour rule outlines the need for specific types of flight experience to ensure better pilot skills, competency, and proficiency. It mandates at least 500 hours of cross-country flying, 250 hours of pilot-in-command experience, 100 hours of night flying, and 75 hours of instrument flight.

The regulation also established a restricted airline transport pilot certificate (R-ATP), creating an alternative path for those who meet the necessary criteria. And unlike the regular ATP, the R-ATP is available to qualified candidates as young as 21.

Pilots interested in an R-ATP have three options. Those who complete certain FAA-approved, bachelor-degree aviation programs can be eligible with 1,000 total flight hours. Others who graduate from an FAA-approved associate-degree program with an aviation major can qualify with 1,250 total flight hours, and current or former military personnel need 750 hours of total flight time.

ALPA’s white paper “Producing a Professional Pilot: Screening, Training, and Mentoring the Next Generation of Flightdeck Crewmembers” notes, “Given the strong military and academic presence in the United States, the airline industry is well positioned for there to be a sufficient supply of qualified pilots available for the future.”

Industry Pushback

In recent years, regional airlines and other special interests, citing a hypothetical, short-lived pilot shortage, called for a rollback of this hard-fought requirement. In addition, two carriers have pursued separate strategies to sidestep the 1,500-hour rule.

In 2022, Republic Airways requested an exemption that would permit pilots graduating from the carrier’s own training program, the Leadership In-Flight Training Academy®, to qualify for a commercial license with just 750 hours of flight time, which the FAA rejected.

More recently, SkyWest petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation and was approved last year to fly scheduled passenger operations as a commuter airline. The carrier’s new subsidiary, SkyWest Charter, operates using Part 135 rules and 30-seat Bombardier CRJ200s.

In 2025, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced his backing of the current pilot qualification rule. “I’ve been a supporter of 1,500 hours, contrary to what some of the press might say,” he remarked. Speaking to the Senate Commerce Committee on December 17, the former Republic president and CEO outlined his full support for the rule in conjunction with structured pilot training.

The union’s white paper underscores the Association’s unwavering position on this matter: “Consistent with ALPA’s historic, safety-based advocacy for well-trained, high-quality pilots, the Association continues to support the requirements for an ATP (or R-ATP) certificate and associated hourly flight minimums…. In the United States, training and certification of pilots to enter airline service will be achieved without any compromise in safety.”