TSA and FAMS Officials Address ALPA Executive Council

On April 8, 2008, ALPA President, Capt. John Prater, and the Executive Council received briefings from John Sammon, Assistant Administrator, Transportation Sector Network Management, TSA, and John Novak, Assistant Director, Flight Operations Division, Federal Air Marshal Service.

Sammon advised that, in response to ALPA’s concerted efforts TSA Administrator Kip Hawley has approved a test of the ALPA-designed CrewPASS initiative. CrewPASS will improve airport screening processes and passenger through-put by removing pilots from checkpoint lines, authenticating their identity and employment status in real time, and providing them an alternative means of access to secure areas of airports. ALPA will continue to work with TSA and closely monitor and support the progress of this effort. Future updates will provide details of the test program’s implementation.

FAMS Assistant Director John Novak addressed the issues of Secondary Barriers and the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. He emphasized the Federal Air Marshal Service’s commitment to the success of the FFDO program and expressed the FAMS support of the concept of Secondary Barriers.

The presence of Sammon and Novak at the Executive Council meeting represents one of many measures of the Association’s success in building positive working relationships with key government officials in order to best represent the interests of the membership.