Air Line Pilot Magazine September 2026

ALPA's Common Cause

About the Cover: To mark the 25th anniversary, we recreated our October 2001 cover in memory of those lost on September 11, 2001.
2001 original cover design: William Ford
2026 reissue design: Dit Rutland

There has been no greater test of the aviation community than the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This month, we mark the 25th anniversary of this tragedy, and our commitment remains the same: to never forget.

With each year, that commitment gains renewed importance. For many of us currently flying the line, that day is seared in our memories. I remember standing in the crew room surrounded by more than 100 of my Delta colleagues as the Twin Towers fell. We all felt our industry change in those moments.

Today, we’re welcoming a new generation of airline pilots into that same industry—including ALPA members who were born on September 11, 2001. We owe that generation more than just a history lesson. We owe them the significance of that day and a shared commitment to the security measures put into place that honor everyone who was lost.

Twenty-five years on, we continue to keep the memory of this tragedy alive through action. Pilots are the last line of defense to prevent our aircraft from being turned into weapons of terror. We fulfil this responsibility through pilots who serve as federal flight deck officers and through our relentless security advocacy shaped by the lessons of that day.

After years of ALPA advocacy, secondary flight deck barriers were mandated on all newly manufactured airliners delivered after August 25, 2025. Although the requirement was to become effective last year, various airlines and aircraft manufacturers have continued to delay implementation, and they continue to request exemptions to circumvent this lifesaving security asset. However, our unrelenting perseverance continues to pay off as we recently learned that the FAA denied another attempt by the Regional Airline Association to avoid the deadline for some regional jets.

With every accident or security incident, we vow to raise standards to prevent future occurrences. Aviation remains the safest form of transportation due to those who speak out when they see a threat or vulnerability—a commitment born from honoring the colleagues we’ve lost. As we mark ALPA’s 95th anniversary this year, our proudest accomplishment isn’t any single rule change; it’s a union that keeps our commitment through each generation.

That commitment shows up in tangible fights—like our insistence on security enhancements and demanding that two qualified pilots remain on every airline flight deck, now and in the future. And our commitment shows up in the less visible moments: cultivating the next generation of safety-focused, union-minded pilots. That work occurs throughout the year in the U.S. and Canada, as ALPA pilots volunteer to connect with current and former members and invest in the future of our profession.

This was on full display at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where thousands of airline pilots were among the 700,000-plus individuals at Wittman Regional Airport. It gave us an opportunity to reinforce, in person, what safeguarding the world’s safest aviation system actually requires: continued investment in the infrastructure, technology, and people supporting it—including our key union partners in the sky, air traffic controllers.

Our collaboration with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to advance system modernization, improve communications during flights, and strengthen workers’ rights is critical to both the success of our industry and the workforces we represent. Our voices are stronger when we speak as one, and standing with our union siblings across the industry, worldwide, makes that voice impossible to ignore. We all share the bond that carries us through safety-focused victories and heartbreaking tragedy. We look out for one another because the alternative is unacceptable.

During this month of September, I hope you wear your ALPA 9-11 pin, display the sticker you’ll find in this issue, and save this edition of the magazine—which reprises the cover we ran in October 2001—as a reminder that we will never forget.

Twenty-five years ago, I stood in a crew room and watched our industry change in real time. This year, some of our newest members turn 25—born into a world that morning had already reshaped, now flying a profession rebuilt around it.

That’s what “One ALPA” means, in a year that holds two significant anniversaries—25 years since that September morning, 95 years since our founding: not a slogan, but a handoff. Every pilot generation before us kept that promise. Now we keep it so that the next generation of ALPA pilots can, too.