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Allied Pilots Association Applauds FAA Bill’s Targeting of Flags of Convenience
FORT WORTH, Texas (June 27, 2017) — The Allied Pilots Association applauds the inclusion of H.R. 2150, the Flags of Convenience Don’t Fly Here Act, as an amendment to H.R. 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act.
H.R. 2997 is a multifaceted bill that, at its core, would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for six years. H.R. 2150 would prohibit the Department of Transportation from issuing a permit to a foreign airline unless DOT determines that the airline is not establishing itself in a particular country just to avoid regulations — the very definition of “flag of convenience.” The bill would also require DOT to ensure that any new foreign air carrier permits issued to European airlines are consistent with the fair labor standards and fair competition requirements of the U.S.-EU-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement.
“If permitted to go forward, flags of convenience would decimate our industry and destroy a great many U.S. jobs,” said Captain Dan Carey, president of the Allied Pilots Association. “The hundreds of thousands of hard-working men and women who keep our nation’s airlines flying will pay the steepest price.”
H.R. 2997 was introduced June 22 by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Aviation Subcommittee Vice Chair Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
H.R. 2150 was introduced April 26 by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Pete DeFazio (D-Ore.), Rep. LoBiondo, Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). It was added to H.R. 2997 as an amendment on June 27.
In addition to targeting flags of convenience, H.R. 2997 touches on several other issues important to Allied Pilots Association members, including the modernization of our nation’s air traffic control system, the continuation of stringent training and experience requirements for first-year airline pilots, the mandating of secondary cockpit barriers in new aircraft, and the establishment of new regulations regarding the shipment of lithium batteries.
Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots union in the United States — is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s website is AlliedPilots.org. American Airlines is the world’s largest passenger airline.