The right numbers for safety (ICAO Journal)

NEW ICAO MANUAL ON MINIMUM CABIN CREW REQUIREMENTS By Martin Maurino Cabin crew members play a key role in passenger and operational safety. The number of cabin crew on board, and their performance, are significant factors in the successful evacuation of aircraft. ICAO’s new Manual on the Establishment of Minimum Cabin Crew Requirements (Doc 10072) provides guidance material […]


June 30, 2017

Low cost airlines like AirAsia mean a higher safety risk (thewest.com.au)

Geoffrey Thomas Comment: The latest incident involving AirAsia X in Australian skies is a severe blow to the AirAsia Group — the biggest low-cost airline conglomerate in Asia. Once again passengers will ask should we fly AirAsia to our favourite holiday destinations of Bali or Kuala Lumpur? Surveys show that while 60 per cent of […]


June 27, 2017

ITF launches new resource for world’s airport workers

The ITF airports organising project has launched a new one-stop hub for everyone who wants to fight for justice for airport workers. The new website at www.airportworkers.org offers everything unions and workers need to get involved in the mission to build power at airports and secure recognition and decent work for airport workers. Among the […]


June 23, 2017

Machinists union sends support to COPA pilots (www.goiam.org)

Approximately 1,000 pilots of Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines are preparing for a strike on Thursday morning, June 15, 2017. The pilots, members of the Panamanian Union of Commercial Aviators (UNPAC), and Copa have been negotiating since October, 2016. UNPAC is seeking a salary scale based on seniority, the definition of a duty day included in […]


June 15, 2017

International solidarity bolsters union in BA Argentina battle

The Asociación Argentina de Aeronavegantes (AAA) has welcomed the solidarity of the ITF and Unite the Union in the UK as it fights to stop British Airways (BA) closing its Buenos Aires EZE hub and laying off cabin crew based there. Unite’s BASSA branch (the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association – which is exclusively […]


June 14, 2017

Push on to unionize WestJet flight attendants (ctvnews.ca)

A recent successful bid to unionize WestJet pilots has prompted a push to organize flight attendants at the airline. The airline, Canada’s second-largest, has long prided itself on its relationship with its employees, whom it refers to as co-owners. Among the benefits offered to WestJet staff are a company-matched share purchase plan. But in recent weeks, […]


June 7, 2017

Statement by NATCA President Paul Rinaldi about President’s Announcement of Air Traffic Control Reform Initiative (natca.org)

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi stated: NATCA shares the Administration’s commitments to infrastructure modernization and providing the National Airspace System (NAS) with a stable, predictable funding stream. We look forward to reviewing the specifics of the air traffic control (ATC) reform legislation so we can evaluate whether it satisfies our Union’s […]


June 6, 2017

Aviation unions – keep up with remote towers technology changes

The ITF has produced a ‘living document’ to help its civil aviation unions keep up to speed with the constant changes in remote towers technology. Super-fast fibre networks, high definition cameras and remote sensing technology mean that the concept, testing and deployment of remote tower services is advancing rapidly. The In Focus document will track […]


June 2, 2017