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 calling for a renewed emphasis on fundamental manual flying skills to counter the erosion of proficiency due to increased automation in air carrier operations.
ALPA advocates for pilots to routinely hand-fly aircraft and maintain these core skills throughout their careers, citing safety data indicating a decline in hands-on abilities.
The union strongly opposes single-pilot airline operations, emphasizing its "Safety Starts With Two" campaign, despite ongoing industry discussions about reduced cockpit crews.
While recognizing the value of technology and AI for pilot support (e.g., terrain avoidance), ALPA stresses the critical need to carefully monitor these systems to prevent bad data and ensure they truly enhance safety.

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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.