Aviation Organizations

Joining aviation organizations is beneficial because they give you the opportunity to meet others who share the same interests and goals. Also, creating these relationships with other professionals can potentially open doors into other careers. A couple of important ones are AOPA, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, ALPA, Air Line Pilots Association. I am already a member of AOPA.

"The mission of AOPA is to protect our freedom to fly by

advocating on behalf of our members,

educating pilots, nonpilots, and policy makers alike,

supporting activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation,

fighting to keep General Aviation accessible to all, and

securing sufficient resources to ensure our success." (AOPA, n.d.)

They offer many services such as information centers, flight planning tools, insurance/ financing options and also keep you in the loop of current events in the industry with their monthly magazine. They offer courses to promote safety and keep your skill levels up to par.


ALPA's mission is to
"promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety throughout all segments of the aviation community; to represent, in both specific and general respects, the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the Association; to promote the health and welfare of the members of the Association before all governmental agencies; to be a strong, forceful advocate of the airline piloting profession, through all forms of media, and with the public at large; and to be the ultimate guardian and defender of the rights and privileges of the professional pilots who are members of the Association." (ALPA, n.d.)
The three critical services they offer are airline safety and security, representation and advocacy. They assist the NTSB in investigations and public hearings, they help maintain salary, benefits and working conditions and they also represent pilot views and promote legislation in favor of the union members.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2016, from http://www.aopa.org/

Air Line Pilots Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2016, from https://www.alpa.org

Global Airlines

The Open Skies Agreement can be accredited with expanding international passenger and cargo flights to and from the United States. This promotes more travel and trade, productivity, creates many job opportunities and economic growth. These agreements eliminate government interference in commercial air decisions about routes, capacity and pricing allowing the carriers to provide more affordable, convenient and efficient service. (Open Skies, n.d.) The United States and The United Arab Emirates have an open skies agreement however are in a bit of a discrepancy. The three biggest US carriers, American, United and Delta Air Lines, claim that the Gulf airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, were being heavily subsidized by their host governments creating an unfair advantage,  This was countered by a report from  Etihad showing that the three US carriers have received more than $70 billion in government a court sanctioned benefits over the past 15 years. (McCauley, 2016) While some US carriers are in support of the Big Three's claims, others such as Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways support the Gulf carriers. 

The Export-Import Bank is "the official export credit agency of the United States." Their mission is to support American jobs by facilitating the export of U.S. goods and services. They fill the gap for American businesses by equipping lenders with the financials necessary to compete for global sales. Thus "increasing the playing field for US goods and services against the overseas markets, so American companies can create more good-paying American jobs." (About Us, n.d.)
So in terms of Boeing, yes, the foreign carriers are making purchases that differ from what the US carriers are offered. All that being said, I feel that the global playing field is overall fair. They were obviously all for it in the beginning and it wasn't until the competition got heated that they started throwing a fit. In the end, the Gulf carriers are still helping out our economy by purchasing aircraft through Boeing.






About Us | EXIM.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2016, from http://www.exim.gov/about/

 Open Skies Agreements. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://www.state.gov/e/eb/tra/ata/ 

McCauley, A. (2016, July 27). Victory for Gulf airlines as US government ends Open Skies row with no further action | The National. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/victory-for-gulf-airlines-as-us-government-ends-open-skies-row-with-no-further-action