The Message and the Mission: 95 Years of ALPA’s Voice

Today, information moves faster than ever. Misinformation, unintended or deliberate, travels just as quickly and lands twice as hard. Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating that dynamic, creating new challenges for any organization committed to accuracy. And yet, in this environment, the oldest rule in communications still holds true: Credibility is everything. You either have it, or you don’t.

ALPA has it. And we’ve had it for 95 years.

That’s not by chance. From the Association’s earliest days, ALPA’s voice carried authority because it came directly from people with real operational experience, real stakes in the outcome, and a commitment to speaking honestly about the issues affecting aviation safety and the profession. It’s that trust, built on a foundation of expertise, credibility, and firsthand experience, that carries weight in conversations about aviation safety and security, labor, and public policy. Few organizations have sustained a clear, credible public voice for nearly a century. That ALPA has done so says something important about the trust pilots have earned and maintained across generations.

The tools have changed dramatically. Printed newsletters, mailed materials, face-to-face meetings, and direct outreach have given way to broadcasts, websites, digital publications, videos, podcasts, and social media. Each shift has brought new opportunities and new risks. Through each of these transformations, ALPA has strategically adapted without ever losing sight of its purpose. Today, AI-assisted content tools are changing how communications teams operate. Determining how best to use creator-driven media and trusted influencer voices, including pilots who’ve built significant followers of their own, has become a reoccurring discussion as we strategize on how information reaches our audiences. This is an important moment. ALPA has an opportunity to lead responsibly in this space—not just adapt to it.

As director of ALPA’s Communications Department, I’m privileged to lead a team of talented communicators during a period of extraordinary change in both the aviation industry and the media. In my two-plus decades with the Association, I’ve witnessed a lot of change in the way the union manages its messaging. The tools we use to reach pilots, policy makers, journalists, and the traveling public have evolved, but our primary role of producing clear, credible, and consistent advocacy in support of the Association’s mission remains unchanged.

ALPA’s communications should look seamless from the outside, because it’s our job to strategize, plan, and coordinate across the Association before we execute. Behind every publication, messaging campaign, media interview, legislative briefing, website update, video, and member communication, there’s a team of professionals working to ensure that pilots’ voices remain credible, clear and effective. And ALPA routinely addresses multiple audiences at once. Our messaging must resonate with pilots and reflect the consensus of our members while also informing lawmakers, regulators, journalists, and the public. Our communications also serve to strengthen partnerships with aviation labor allies and pilot organizations internationally, shaping policy discussions in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, as well as abroad within the International Civil Aviation Organization and among our counterparts at the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

ALPA’s “Safety Starts with 2” campaign offers a good example of how effective that messaging can be. That two qualified pilots on the flight deck are fundamental to safety is something pilots understand instinctively. Bringing that understanding into a broader public conversation has helped to frame the debate, reinforce the importance of aviation safety standards, and elevate pilots’ voices during a critical moment. And the Association’s efforts have yielded results. While the debate over reduced-crew operations is still ongoing, the rush to implement ill-conceived reduced-crew schemes has slowed dramatically as a direct result of that messaging campaign.

I have no doubt we’ll continue to see new technologies, new pressures, and new challenges in the coming years that will shape the way ALPA communicates. The pilots we represent are among the most credible voices in any room, digital or physical. Ninety-five years in, our job description has remained the same: making sure the world keeps hearing them.