IAPA welcomes the resumption of voluntary safety program at major U.S. airlines

Issue
Over the last several months, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, American Airlines and, most recently, Comair have agreed to resume participation in the FAA-sponsored Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) after disagreements between unions and management prompted the carriers to cease participation late in 2008.

Background
The FAA sponsors ASAP which allows pilots and other work groups such as maintenance workers to report and admit to errors that could lead to an accident, without fear of reprimand from the employer. Due to some issues between labor and management, there were allegations of disciplinary action taken against employees based on ASAP information. The pilots' union at American, the Allied Pilots Association, charged that American was using the program to discipline captains for inadvertent safety lapses, putting their jobs at risk. The union sought language to strengthen job protections for pilots who reported errors. The airline did not want changes in the agreement.

According to the FAA, the goal of ASAP is to enhance aviation safety through the prevention of accidents and incidents. Its focus is to encourage voluntary reporting of safety issues and events that come to the attention of employees of certain certificate holders.

To encourage an employee to voluntarily report safety issues even though they may involve an alleged violation of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), enforcement-related incentives have been designed into the program. An ASAP is based on a safety partnership that will include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the certificate holder, and may include any third party such as the employee's labor organization.

The importance to our members
The safety and security of our frequent flyer members is our highest priority, as it is in the aviation industry at large. Though many safety buffers exist to minimize risk should changes in procedures or policies occur at an airline or aviation body, IAPA views the discontinuance of successful safety programs as an erosion of this buffer.

IAPA's position
IAPA applauds all airlines participating in ASAP and other safety-related programs designed to improve on the safety record of commercial aviation in the U.S. and throughout the world. Information that leads to safety improvements is critical and this information must come unfiltered and without fear of retribution. IAPA expects every airline participating in programs such as ASAP to maintain the spirit and integrity of the programs in order to achieve the overall goal of aviation safety and accident prevention. IAPA encourages all airlines throughout the world to participate in or establish such programs.

Status
As of June, 2009 over 70 certificate holding operators (airline and airline service companies) in the U.S. participate in ASAP.

Updated: 29 June 2009