Union Urges ‘Back-to-Basics’ Approach to Pilot Skills

ALPA vice president doubles down on hand-flying, training quality, and technology’s role in safety.

Ryan Ewing

Saturday, December 06, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Boeing 737 flight deck [Credit: Shutterstock/Atosan]

Key Takeaways:

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is advocating for pilots to return to fundamental manual flying skills, citing safety data that shows an erosion of hands-on proficiency due to increased automation.
ALPA's first vice president, Wendy Morse, emphasizes the importance of pilots actively hand-flying aircraft more frequently to maintain essential skills throughout their careers.
The union also strongly opposes single-pilot airline operations, stressing that while technology and AI can be valuable support tools, they should enhance pilot decision-making rather than replace human control, requiring careful monitoring.

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The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is calling for a renewed emphasis on fundamental flying skills as automation becomes more common in air carrier operations.

In a recent interview at the Skift Aviation Forum in Fort Worth, Texas, ALPA first vice president Wendy Morse, a Boeing 787 captain, said the union is advocating for pilots to “go back to our roots” by maintaining strong manual-flying proficiency throughout their careers.