Air Line Pilot Podcast

As we reflect on 25 years since 9/11 and 95 years of ALPA, we examine ALPA’s history through the voices of past presidents: Capt. Randy Babbit, Capt. Duane Woerth, and Capt. John Prater. Their perspective on unity, safety, and resilience speaks directly to where we are now and where we are headed.

In-flight fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are increasing in frequency, which is a serious threat to flight safety. In this episode, ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi speaks with Capt. Dave Schlichting (FedEx Express), head of ALPA’s Dangerous Goods program, about what pilots need to know about the risks of lithium-ion batteries and how to mitigate them.

During the ALPA Legislative Summit, ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi spoke Rep. Val Hoyle from Oregon about the work she is doing on Capitol Hill to advance safety, security, and workers’ rights. Hoyle came to Congress after serving as Labor Commissioner in Oregon and  is a true champion for working people, the labor movement, and aviation safety. She serves on the House Transportation and Infra...

During the ALPA Legislative Summit, ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi spoke Rep. Rob Bresnahan from Pennsylvania about the work he is doing on Capitol Hill to advance safety, security, and workers’ rights. In addition to being a helicopter pilot, Bresnahan serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a committed ally on several aviation safety priorities in Congress.

Flipping the script from our usual format, this episode features ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi as the guest, in conversation with Aviation Week's Karen Walker on the Window Seat Podcast. In a broad discussion that includes ALPA’s safety priorities and recent advocacy, Ambrosi covers his career as a pilot, ALPA’s work to pass COVID payroll support, the importance of pilots at the center of air...

ALPA’s Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS) has provided free medical consultations to U.S. ALPA members since 1969. ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi welcomes Dr. Quay Snyder, ALPA aeromedical advisor and AMAS president/CEO, to explain the role of AMAS in advising pilots on how to stay healthy and compliant with medical certificate requirements. Snyder covers common pilot questions about wh...

How do we protect commercial aircraft from the threat of unmanned aerial systems? ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi talks with Col. Bill Edwards, director of counter-unmanned aerial systems operations at ENSCO, about the rapidly growing drone threat to commercial aviation and what it will take to counter it. Edwards discusses the evolution of small UAS driven by global conflicts, the scale of dro...

Joined by leaders from several ALPA pilot groups and ALPA Canada, ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi discusses key developments within the union. Guests include Capt. Larry Payne (Hawaiian Airlines) and Capt. Will McQuillen (Alaska Airlines), both chairs of their respective MECs, who provide updates on their ongoing merger. Capt. Brian Smith (Porter Airlines) shares insights from the recent organi...

Each year brings new opportunities and challenges for our union, and 2025 was a powerful reminder of just how unpredictable a single year can be. This year, ALPA mourned loss, confronted economic instability at several airlines, and felt the harsh impact of political turmoil, including the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. To close out 2025, ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi had an in-...

Capt. Ronan O'Donoghue, chair of ALPA's Strategic Preparedness and Strike Committee, joined ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi to discuss the transformation of ALPA's culture. Collaboration, strategic and communication planning, and solidarity among pilot groups all play critical roles in ALPA’s recent successes. Informational pickets and the introduction of new initiatives like the fact team and...

How does the aviation industry look from the outside? ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi found out in this interview with Elan Head, senior editor at The Air Current, and a helicopter pilot herself. The conversation covers industry trends, media perspectives, pilot misconceptions, the impact of emerging technologies, and how reporting on aviation can influence understanding and accountability with...

As 2025 unfolded, the airline industry's initial optimism was met with unexpected challenges. ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi sat down with Aviation Economist Patrick Cropper from ALPA’s Economic and Financial Analysis Department to discuss the factors that were fueling early confidence and the hurdles airlines now face. From high profits at Delta and United to the struggles of ultra-low-cost c...

In aviation, we learn from the past to build a safer future. One of the most effective ways we do that is through accident investigation—identifying contributing factors to reform processes, designs, and policies to prevent similar accidents from happening again.     ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi interviews Transportation Safety Board of Canada Chair Yoan Marier about how the board investigat...

For many ALPA members, flying is more than a career—it is a passion. And that passion is on full display at EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh every year. At the 2024 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the Air Line Pilot Podcast caught up with ALPA members who arrived in classic warbirds or other vintage aircraft, or who flew as part of the daily airshow. William “Skip” Stewart (FedEx Express) gave aerobatic performan...

Air Traffic Controllers are critical to safe airline operations, but they have faced a chronic lack of support and infrastructure funding. ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi sits down with Nick Daniels, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). In their conversation about the challenges that controllers face on the job, Daniels discusses how NATCA continues to figh...

Nearly two decades after a significant number of ALPA pilots were furloughed, many ALPA members still remember what it feels like. ALPA’s Furloughed Pilot Support Program (FPSP) is built on the first-hand experience of members, like ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi and FPSP volunteer F/O Quincy Flemming. Listen now to hear their furlough stories and suggestions for pilots facing career uncertain...

Effectively managing conflict and knowing what works in a negotiation are essential skills for life, but especially for union work. Naseem Khuri, a trainer, consultant, mediator, and facilitator who specializes in negotiation, influence, and conflict management, sat down with ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi to talk about how his best practices can be applied at ALPA. Khuri has worked with Israe...

On the evening of January 27, 2025, ALPA’s Air Safety Organization enacted programs it hopes to never have to use: the Accident Investigation Board (AIB) and Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP). These highly trained ALPA volunteers went to action at a moment’s notice after a midair collision between PSA Flight 5342 and a military helicopter took the lives of all 67 aboard both aircraft. The...

Flying out of Portland in January, a door plug on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 departed the aircraft, causing a rapid depressurization. In her exclusive first interview following the event with CBS News’s Kris Van Cleave, Superior Airmanship Award Winner, Emily Wiprud shares her experience. Events like Alaska 1282 are reminders of the ways pilots must always be ready to respond to emergencies in th...

Industry stakeholders are working to reduce safety by taking pilots off the flight deck, but ALPA, the European Cockpit Association (ECA), and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) are united to stop them. ALPA President, Jason Ambrosi interviews ECA President Otjan de Bruijn about the risks and hazards associated with single pilot operations, IFALPA Deputy Presiden...

Laws passed by Congress continually make and remake safety in American aviation. Through laws —like the FAA reauthorization bill, passed earlier this year—lawmakers have the power to defend or deteriorate safety in the skies. During ALPA's Legislative Summit, Capt. Jason Ambrosi interviewed Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23) one of the key Members of Congress fighting to protect aviation safety. In this...

ALPA President, Capt. Jason Ambrosi interviews Dr. Susan Northrup the FAA’s Federal Air Surgeon, who oversees the FAA’s aviation medical programs— about how pilots can stay healthy and navigate mental health concerns with their aviation medical examiner. It is vital that pilots have the resources, support, and access to help mental wellness. Listen to this interview to hear about the pathways avai...

Akbar Sultan, Director of NASA's Airspace Operations and Safety Program joins ALPA President, Capt. Jason Ambrosi for a conversation about the latest advances in aviation safety research for a behind-the-scenes look at how researchers and pilots are collaborating to strengthen aviation safety. Their discussion covers Airspace Operations and Safety Program’s work to develop predictive safety system...

Stepping up to serve our members is our union’s highest calling. During ALPA’s annual Leadership Training Conference the union’s newest leaders gather to learn more about the resources available to them and best practices for their new leadership position. This month, ALPA President, Capt. Ambrosi spoke with Capt. Tiffany O’Connor (FedEx Express), Capt. Steve Savidge (Alaska Airlines), F/O Manuela...

With vital work to negotiate contracts, defend safety, and protect the contract gains made last year, ALPA President, Capt. Jason Ambrosi sits down with the national leadership team to plot a path for 2024. In this conversation First Vice President and National Safety Coordinator, Capt. Wendy Morse, the new Vice President-Administration/Secretary, Capt. Sean Creed, Vice President-Finance/Treasurer...