Release #09.050
August 5, 2009

United Airlines Capt. Jeffrey Sedin Receives ALPA’s Outstanding Airport Liaison Representative Award
Glenview, Ill., Pilot Lauded for Work in O’Hare Airport Modernization

WASHINGTON—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will recognize United Airlines Capt. Jeffrey Sedin with the Outstanding Airport Liaison Representative (ALR) Award for his years of work advocating for pilot interests at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The award will be presented today at the 55th Air Safety Forum, held in Washington, D.C.

“The O’Hare modernization effort is vitally important to ALPA because ORD is one of the busiest airports in the world, and thousands of our members use it every day,” said Capt. Bob Perkins, ALPA’s Airport Ground Environment (AGE) Group chairman. “Over the years, Capt. Sedin has gained the trust and respect of the Chicago Department of Aviation, airport planners, and other stakeholders and has become a model for what an ALR can do to create safe, efficient airports for passengers and airline employees alike.”

As part of the O’Hare modernization team, Capt. Sedin takes an active role in planning future runway configurations and airspace management. Among his many achievements was helping plan for the installation of runway status lights to prevent runway incursions, and for the construction of crushable concrete arresting systems to minimize runway overruns.

“United pilots have been at the forefront throughout the years in helping establish airline safety standards that benefit fellow pilots, our passengers, and the aviation industry in general,” said Capt. Steve Wallach, chairman of the United Master Executive Council of ALPA. “Capt. Sedin’s dedication and work toward promoting safety carries on a long-standing tradition among pilots at United Airlines.”

Capt. Sedin serves as one of two ALPA ALRs at O’Hare, along with Capt. Mike Maas of American Eagle Airlines, who is also receiving the 2008 Outstanding ALR award.

“Working together, Capts. Sedin and Maas are a great team representing all segments of ALPA, from legacy carriers to regional operators,” said Capt. John Prater, ALPA’s president. “Thanks to their exceptional efforts, ALPA is helping to make one of the nation’s busiest airports ever safer.”

ALPA’s Airport Ground Environment Group selects Outstanding Airport Liaison Representatives from nominations made by ALPA’s regional safety chairmen and other ALRs, who represent pilots’ interests at more than 150 commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ALPA honors ALRs who initiate appropriate actions that result in improved airport policy and practices, including correcting airport design and technology deficiencies.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union, representing nearly 54,000 pilots at 36 airlines in the United States and Canada.

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Contact: Linda Shotwell or Rusty Ayers, 703/481-4440 or media@alpa.org