Latest news with #ALPA
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opening Canadian market to foreign airlines a 'lose-lose,' pilots union says
Pilots are speaking up against the Competition Bureau's recommendation to allow foreign carriers to operate domestic flights within Canada and loosen restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines, saying the idea places Canadian-owned carriers at a competitive disadvantage and risks displacing Canadian workers. On June 19, the federal watchdog released a market study outlining measures it believes will increase competition in the domestic airline market, including ways to leverage international capital to strengthen competition. In response, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), a union that represents 95 per cent of professional Canadian pilots, said it strongly believes that permitting foreign airlines to offer domestic service in Canada, known as cabotage, is 'impractical' and 'unwise.' 'Such a scheme would enable foreign airlines to cherry-pick money-generating routes at the expense of less profitable regional connections that bind our country and are the backbone of the Canadian economy,' Tim Perry, who leads the Canadian arm of the group, said in a statement. In its report, the Competition Bureau urged the government to work with other countries to remove foreign competition restrictions in international agreements, phasing out specific ownership restrictions. It recommended that airlines from partner countries be allowed to conduct cabotage operations in Canada. The ALPA said the bureau's recommendation is a 'lose-lose proposition that sells out Canadians' by forfeiting air sovereignty and exports many of the benefits of Canadian-owned and operated enterprises. The existing rules on domestic flights only allow Canadian airlines to fly from point to point within the country, and to qualify as 'Canadian,' airlines must be owned and controlled by Canadians. Currently, foreign investors can own up to 49 per cent of the voting shares in an airline. Those rules were last updated in 2018. The Competition Bureau suggested allowing up to 100 per cent foreign ownership of domestic-only Canadian airlines, creating a new class of airline that operates only in Canada but can have owners outside the country. It also said the single-investor foreign ownership limit for Canadian airlines should be increased to 49 per cent. At the moment, no single foreign investor can own more than 25 per cent, and the same goes for foreign carriers. In May, Onex Corp. sold a 25 per cent stake in WestJet to a consortium of global airlines including Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. 'We found that restricting foreign investment and foreign carriers reduces competition in Canada's domestic airline market,' senior officials at the Competition Bureau told media at a June 19 briefing. They said the level of concentration in the industry means that on many routes, travellers have limited choice and pay higher fares than they might in a more competitive environment. While other countries have adopted looser regulations, Canada's restrictions make it harder for airlines to access capital from investors outside the country, and harder and more expensive for new and existing carriers to find funding to expand, the agency said. Porter Airlines said it supports increasing foreign ownership limits to 49 per cent for a single shareholder, but additional changes to foreign ownership and market access require much greater scrutiny. 'For example, allowing foreign airlines to operate domestic routes will further disadvantage smaller carriers,' Porter Airlines said in a statement. It said the proposal should not be considered without reciprocal access to other countries for Canadian airlines, although the practice will ultimately benefit the largest players with greatest resources and brand recognition. John Gradek, a faculty lecturer of supply networks and aviation at McGill University, said cabotage is basically 'a poor man's approach to increasing competition in Canada,' as foreign airlines are given the right to fly 'whenever they feel like it, at whatever price they feel like.' 'Cabotage is not a globally well-accepted commercial concept, because it does threaten the Canadian entity,' Gradek said. He added that, in this case, it's like giving away Canadian rights to a foreign carrier without having any reciprocal rights for Canadian carriers. 'I'm very surprised that the Competition Bureau is leading us down that path.' The bureau also recommended eliminating international flight exclusivity clauses, which limit only one airport in a local area to have international flights. Another recommendation is to shift financial burden of airport maintenance away from passengers. Airlines collect both airport improvement fees and passenger facilitation fees from customers as part of their ticket price and then transfer the funds to airports, keeping a processing fee for the transaction. 'Many stakeholders told us that airport fees make it more expensive for airlines to operate,' the report said. In a statement, WestJet said it welcomes the bureau's market study and agrees that third-party fees, charges and taxes, which it said are much higher in Canada than in other jurisdictions, undermine affordability and deter competition in Canadian air travel. As an example, for a typical round-trip in Canada, a passenger must pay $133 in fees (none of which goes to airlines), compared to only $49 in the U.S., WestJet said. 'Lowering fees and charges would allow millions more Canadians to afford air travel, grow the size of the market and create room for new entrants and more competition, which in turn delivers more choice and more affordable travel for Canadians,' it said. Flair Airlines said the bureau's findings reinforce key issues that have long affected the airline industry, such as opaque slot allocation, 'unfair' airport fee structures, and exclusive commercial arrangements that benefit incumbents and block new entrants. 'The findings show that Canada's airline industry needs to expand beyond the large carriers that currently dominate the market,' said Eric Tanner, Flair's vice president of commercial. Meanwhile, Air Canada released its own report on Thursday refuting some of the Competition Bureau's claims, the main one being a lack of competition in the Canadian air travel industry. 'Canadians have greater choice than ever before on the vast majority of routes they travel on,' Air Canada said. It also said competition in Canada is as robust, if not more, than other jurisdictions. CIBC Capital Markets analysts said they could see the Canadian government being open to implementing some recommendations, such as increasing airline data transparency, but also see a number of recommendations as controversial. The analysts said that while access to more capital would theoretically yield more competition and thus lower fares, they believe there would be little appetite for the recommendation that the long-term goal should be to remove all foreign ownership restrictions on airlines. They also noted whether international investors would view operating only in Canada as a good opportunity, as the cost of doing so is high and the country has a large land mass with a small population. Gradek said the idea of loosening restrictions on foreign equity on airlines is nothing new and has been tried in other countries. He said there's always been a belief that there isn't enough capital in Canada to support new airlines, and that there is an aspiration that foreign carriers and foreign investors would have a greater interest in serving Canadian air markets than Canadians would. Canada has had a problem with domestic carriers, particularly new ones, lasting a few years and then running out of cash, Gradek said, adding that those airlines don't grow to a critical size to be able to compete with Air Canada and WestJet. 'That's something the Competition Bureau is saying: we somehow have to break that duopoly that's out there and we have to try it another way, use foreign carrier funds,' he said. In recent years, several ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) have entered the Canadian market, although with mixed success. Lynx Air and Canada Jetlines, both established in 2022, were short-lived and ceased operations last year. WestJet's low-cost brand, Swoop was eventually folded into its main operations in 2023. WestJet also recently acquired Sunwing Airlines, which had officially shut down last month, into its main-line service. Air Transat beats expectations, adjusts to shift in travel demand Airline traffic in Canada is up — just not to the United States Flair Airlines began its current operations in 2017 and is the only remaining ULCC in Canada. By 2023, domestic capacity shares were as follows: Air Canada had 47 per cent, WestJet had 27 per cent and other airlines had 26 per cent. • Email: dpaglinawan@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FedEx Pilots Picket Over Prolonged Contract Stalemate
Roughly 300 FedEx pilots picketed the company's executive offices Tuesday in a show of displeasure with ongoing contract negotiations that have lasted more than four years. The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which represents more than 5,500 pilots at FedEx, met with company officials under federally mediated bargaining sessions as recently as last week. But neither side came to a deal. More from Sourcing Journal Canada Post Denies Union's Request to Settle New Deal Via Arbitration Trade Pressures Prompt IATA to Lower 2025 Air Cargo Demand Forecast Canada Post Presents 'Final Offers' to Union, Who Says Labor Battle is 'Far from Over' 'FedEx has had four years to do the right thing, but instead it has chosen to invest in shareholders over its employees,' said Capt. Jose Nieves, chair of the FedEx ALPA master executive council, said in a statement. 'The pilots are done waiting. We've delivered through crisis and transformation, and we expect to be treated like professionals who enable corporate success.' Pilots began bargaining for a new contract in May 2021, attempting to modernize what the union called an 'outdated' labor agreement signed back in 2015. The parties initially achieved a tentative agreement in May 2023, but the pilots rejected the deal two months later. At the time, FedEx was offering a 30-percent increase for both pilot pay and legacy pensions. But the union said that was lower than a 40-percent hike the ALPA-represented United Airlines pilots received in a contract earlier that month. Since the rejection, both sides have made very little headway toward striking a deal, with negotiations having been on and off. 'We remain committed to reaching an agreement through the mediation process that is fair to our pilots, our other team members, and all FedEx stakeholders,' a FedEx spokesperson said. 'Informational picketing is a common occurrence during negotiations and does not impact our service.' A line of pilots standing outside the Memphis, Tenn. offices held up signs that read 'We're FedUp,' 'Stop profits over people,' and 'Stop outsourcing American jobs' as part of the picketing. The union's grievances target the company's ongoing Drive transformation, which is designed to cut costs at the logistics giant by $4 billion by the end of 2025, and another $2 billion through 2027. The transformation encompasses the Network 2.0 strategy, which is designed to consolidate the FedEx delivery network with fewer stations and routes and increase shipping efficiency, and the 'Tricolor' redesign of its air operations. The Tricolor strategy broke out FedEx's flights into three separate colors— purple, orange and white—based on customer demands, delivery timeliness and product category. ALPA's members feel the current contract for the FedEx pilots does not reflect some of these operational shifts. For example, with the company's partnership with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) expiring last September, FedEx is expected to reduce its daytime flight hours by approximately 60 percent. Before the partnership ended, FedEx identified that it had a surplus of 500 pilots. 'The corporation has yet to bring forward basic insights into how it plans to employ the pilot group in the future, a major challenge to scope bargaining efforts,' the statement read, with the company saying the current agreement 'is based on a decades-old operation that FedEx is clearly signaling looks nothing like its future plans under a One FedEx, Tricolor, Network 2.0 operations strategy.' The 79,000-pilot union also has expressed gripes with FedEx after it replaced European 757 pilot flights with third-party contract carriers, taking the ALPA pilots out of rotation. FedEx had previously maintained a pilot base in Cologne, Germany, to complement its European hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, before closing it in 2024. Although ALPA claims FedEx said the Cologne routes would shift to Memphis-based pilots, the union says company management steadily slashed the mainline European flights, with flights after April all being transitioned to third parties. 'The reality is clear—European FedEx 757 pilot flights have been completely replaced by third-party contract carriers,' said Nieves in a March statement. Nieves indicated FedEx executive chairman Fred Smith 'signaled growth in the Far East market,' suggesting that a similar scenario could happen to the Oakland, Calif.-based pilots who operate FedEx's Far East flights. 'One can only wonder whether those will be FedEx pilots flying under our established routes or if they will be outsourced as well,' said Nieves. FedEx has made more of a concerted push to leverage third parties to capture more of what chief customer officer Brie Carere has identified as an $80 billion air freight market, while keeping costs down. During a December earnings call, she said FedEx had a 'low-single-digit market share' in the market.
Indian Express
30-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
When Shilpa Shetty Kundra opened up about suffering from an autoimmune condition: ‘I had a couple of miscarriages'
Shilpa Shetty Kundra has often been candid about life with her followers and fans. In a similar vein, the actor once opened up about suffering from APLA, or Antiphospholipid Antibodies, a group of antibodies that increase the risk of blood clots, due to which she sustained miscarriages before opting for surrogacy for the birth of her second child in 2020. 'After Viaan, I did want to have another child for the longest time. But I suffered from an autoimmune disease called APLA, and that came into play every time I got pregnant. So I had a couple of miscarriages, so it was a genuine issue,' she told Pinkvilla in 2020. 'I didn't want Viaan to grow up as a single child, because I'm also one of two, and I know how important it is to have a sibling. Coming from that thought, I did explore other ideas as well, but that didn't pan out well. At a time when I wanted to adopt, I had put in my name, and everything was underway. But then, the Christian missionary shut down because they had a tiff with CARA. I waited for nearly four years, and then I was so irritated and we decided to try the surrogacy route,' said Shilpa Shetty. But what exactly is ALPA, and how does it affect a woman's chances of full-term pregnancy? Dr Surabhi Siddhartha, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospital, Kharghar, explained that APLA is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks normal proteins in the blood, leading to abnormal blood clotting. 'This condition becomes especially concerning, mainly during pregnancy, as it can cause clots in the placenta, reducing blood flow to the baby. Unfortunately, this causes repeated miscarriages, stillbirths, or complications like preeclampsia and preterm delivery. Women with APLA often don't realise they have it until they experience recurrent pregnancy losses or unexplained blood clots,' said Dr Surabhi. Dr Rashmi Niphadkar, fertility specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, Baner, Pune, explained that there may be issues with the embryo getting implanted in the uterus, and women with APLA may also have low quantities and quality of eggs. 'In men, the antibodies may have been linked to penile and testicular abnormalities,' said Dr Rashmi. Diagnosis is done through blood tests. 'Early diagnosis of APLA is critical, and this becomes crucial especially when planning for pregnancy. If women are repeatedly having miscarriages, it is ideal to consult a fertility specialist who can further check if any autoimmune disorder test is needed,' said Dr Rashmi. With proper treatment consisting of blood thinners, many women with APLA can conceive successfully and fulfill the dream of motherhood, emphasised Dr Surabhi. 'Moreover, women should keep in mind that it is necessary to inform their doctor about any history of miscarriage, clotting, or autoimmune conditions. Close monitoring and early diagnosis can make a big difference and help with successful conception,' Dr Surabhi noted. Women with APLA should be under the care of a high-risk pregnancy specialist to ensure both mother and baby stay healthy. DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
Sharjah 24
21-05-2025
- Science
- Sharjah 24
ALPA reviews academic cooperation with University of Sharjah
The association's delegation was headed by Dr. Aisha Al Ghais, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and included Dr. Jamal Yousef Al Zarouni, Secretary, and Professor Mohammed Shuaib Al Hammadi, Financial and Administrative Director. They were received from the University of Sharjah by Dr. Maryam Balajid, Head of the Arabic Language and Literature Department, and lecturer Hamda Al Awadhi from the same department. Promoting the use of the Arabic language in academic and community activities The meeting, held Tuesday addressed a number of key topics related to the status of the Arabic language in academic fields. Discussions centred on ways to expand cooperation between the two sides, particularly with regard to initiatives targeting students and researchers, and opening new horizons for promoting the use of the Arabic language in academic and community activities. Enhancing Arabic language in light of rapid digital transformations The possibility of ALPA participating in the "Arabic Language and Artificial Intelligence" conference was also discussed, contributing to its scientific and practical aspects. This would achieve cognitive integration with contemporary developments and enhance the status of the Arabic language in light of rapid digital transformations. The University of Sharjah expressed its keenness to strengthen its relationship with ALPA, welcoming proposals for cooperation and exchange of expertise in areas of common interest. For their part, the Association's representatives affirmed their readiness to study the proposed initiatives and engage with them in a manner consistent with the Association's mission to preserve the Arabic language and enhance its presence in various fields. At the conclusion of the meeting, both parties emphasised the importance of continued institutional communication and coordination, affirming their aspiration to build an effective partnership that will contribute to the advancement of the Arabic language and make it a key element in the knowledge industry and future planning.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I'm a Sunrise Movement Activist. Yes, I'm Proud My Dad's an Airline Pilot
All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by Teen Vogue editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Courtesy of Finn Does and ALPA Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take As a kid, airplanes felt magical. Standing at the edge of a runway, the metallic scent of jet fuel in the air, I watched my dad point out aircraft as they roared past. In his crisp pilot's uniform, he seemed like a hero, teaching me the names of different models and filling my imagination with stories of flight. But today, that magic has dimmed. The same metallic scent now reminds me of the fossil fuels stealing my generation's future. Airplanes may be awe-inspiring, but the industry is part of the system driving worsening hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts, and contributing to rising sea levels. My dad's job — a career that has provided for our family for decades — relies on burning fossil fuels. It's a personal tension that mirrors the larger fight between sustaining livelihoods and tackling the climate crisis. As a climate organizer fighting for a Green New Deal, green union jobs, stronger public schools, and worker power, I've learned that this tension isn't a barrier to solutions but a pathway to them. To win climate action, we must topple the fossil fuel industry. But this fight isn't about vilifying workers like my dad. It's about dismantling a system that exploits both labor and the planet for profit. Corporate greed and corruption, not workers, are the common enemy. The global airline industry burns tens of billions of gallons of jet fuel annually, contributing millions of tons of CO2 to the atmosphere. Airline CEOs rake in astronomical salaries while our schools burn and our workers face grueling conditions. In 2023, Delta CEO Ed Bastian earned more than $34.2 million, receiving a massive one-time bonus for shepherding the company through the COVID pandemic. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby made almost $18.6 million while United's workers were on strike. And ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods raked in $36.9 million in 2023; yet in the years since, our taxpayer dollars have gone toward battling the estimated $250 billion-plus in damages and economic losses caused by the recent Los Angeles wildfires and the nearly $80 billion from Hurricane Helene in the Southeast, costly disasters fueled by the very industry he profits from. This is part of a larger pattern: Across the airline and fossil fuel industries CEOs rake in billions while their workers struggle with toxic air, unsafe conditions, and inadequate pay. The same forces driving the climate crisis are exploiting the labor that keeps the world running. This reality is personal for me. My dad has worked in aviation for over 25 years, starting at Continental Airlines in 1999, he told me in a phone conversation. 'For much of that time, I worked under broken labor contracts, earning a shockingly low income despite grueling schedules that kept me away from home for days on end.' It's a story that's all too common in industries tied to fossil fuels. These workers — whether they're flight attendants, mechanics, fuel handlers, or truckers— make our world run, yet they've been left behind by the climate movement. For years, I hid my dad's job in climate organizing spaces, fearing judgment. The reactions are exhausting to deal with. I recall a meeting where someone blamed airline workers for climate change. I bit my tongue, but later, I called my dad. 'Do you ever feel like people blame you for the climate crisis?' I asked. He paused, then told me that most of his colleagues want the same things my peers and I are fighting for — clean air and water, a better world for our children. But in the meantime, he said, we have to pay health insurance, rent, et cetera. His words stuck with me. That disconnect I've lived in my organizing — between workers and the climate movement — is exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants because a fractured movement can't win. To build a better future, we need a united front. The climate movement must center workers and their needs, showing that climate action isn't about job loss; it's about job creation and putting power back into the hands of laborers. This means embracing policies like the Green New Deal. It's about making clear, tangible connections between climate action and economic security. For example, transitioning to renewable energy could create millions of good-paying union jobs in industries like wind and solar, while investments in public transit could provide stable employment for workers currently tied to polluting industries. We've already seen what solidarity can achieve. Airline unions have fought to improve safety standards, secure better contracts, and protect jobs. In August 2024, flight attendants at one major airline voted 99.99% to authorize a strike if leadership wouldn't meet their demands for fair treatment and better pay. Across the country, union petitions rose by 27% in the 2024 fiscal year, with workers in industries from retail to transportation taking bold action. These fights show that workers are waking up to their power. Now, they need allies in the climate movement. As an organizer with the Sunrise Movement, I've seen how powerful these alliances can be. In January, I helped organize a protest outside Chevron's Richmond, California, refinery demanding the corporation help pay for the schools, homes, and businesses lost to the Los Angeles fires. To our surprise, oil and gas truck drivers honked in support as they drove by. Later that day, I called my dad to tell him about it. 'You know,' he said, 'most of us, even those of us in these industries, agree the system needs to change. But it's hard to see a way out when your paycheck depends on it.' His words reminded me that we're not fighting against workers; we're fighting alongside them. The climate movement must actively support labor by showing up for picket lines, advocating for stronger unions, and demanding corporate accountability. This includes lifting up workers across industries, from the Amazon Teamsters to the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) to my dad's union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). It means listening to their concerns, addressing their fears, and building solutions that prioritize their well-being. Together, we can create a world where every worker has a good-paying job, every family breathes clean air, and no one is left behind. To win this fight, we need everyone — climate organizers, labor unions, and everyday people — standing shoulder to shoulder. We can build a better system, one that supports workers, the planet, and generations to come. Let's get to work. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want more Teen Vogue climate coverage? 17 Young People on the Moment the Climate Crisis Became Real to Them 7 Ways to Manage Climate Anxiety Why Activists Go on Hunger Strikes In California, Incarcerated Teens Help Fight Wildfires
