Pilots at Porter Airlines are poised to become members of Canada’s largest union of airline pilots, the union said in a statement Friday.
On Thursday, pilots from the airline filed membership cards with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to become members of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). If certified, they are expected to become members of the union within the next three to four weeks, the statement said.
“Welcoming the Porter pilots into ALPA will further advance the interests of commercial airline pilots and strengthen aviation safety and security,” ALPA president Jason Ambrosi said.
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ALPA currently represents 79,000 pilots, or 95 per cent of all pilots in Canada.
If they become members of ALPA, Porter Airlines pilots will join pilots from 21 pilot groups, including from Air Canada, PAL Airlines, Air Borealis, Perimeter Aviation, Morningstar Air Express, PAL Aerospace, Cargojet and Flair.
According to ALPA, Porter Airlines has the fourth-largest group of pilots of any airline in Canada and is the largest non-unionized carrier in the country.
Porter is in the midst of a push to keep growing and challenge airlines like Air Canada and WestJet, adding new routes and offering what CEO Michael Deluce last year described to Global News as “elevated economy” to consumers.
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