January 1, Pilots’ Union Suggests Swapping Cockpit for Flight Deck
The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), representing over 70,000 commercial pilots worldwide, has made a controversial suggestion to change certain terms like “cockpit” to “flight deck” for increased sensitivity towards women and LGBTQ+ employees. The union released an Inclusive Language Reference Guide, aiming to make gendered language more inclusive for its diverse members.
The 2021 guide urges pilots to avoid masculine words such as “guys,” “airmen,” “manpower,” and “cockpit” to “reflect the diversity we have at ALPA” and to “create a more inclusive workplace.” The ALPA stated, “While the word ‘cockpit’ dates back to the 1900s, it has been and may be used in a derogatory way to exclude women in the piloting profession.” The union encourages pilots to use the term “flight deck” instead.
Despite the efforts to change the term, the word “cockpit” is not derived from anything offensive or related to male anatomy. According to General Aviation News, it was first used in the 1580s to describe an arena for cock fights. Over time, it evolved into a synonym for “control center,” and was adopted by World War I pilots in the early 1900s.
ALPA also considers words like “mother” and “father” non-inclusive, as they “may inadvertently ignore different family structures.” The union discourages referring to people’s wives, husbands, girlfriends, or boyfriends, as these terms may exclude those who are unmarried or have long-term or same-sex partners.
Words with “men” or “man” as a suffix or prefix are deemed offensive by ALPA, replacing “manpower” with “people/human power” and suggesting gender-neutral pronouns like “they/them.”
In a statement, ALPA defended its guidelines, stating that the union is simply “opening the doors of opportunity.” However, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety team representative Kyle Bailey argued that “diversity really has nothing to do with safe travel,” and that safety is based on flight time, credentials, background, and training.
As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.
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Richard Young
June 25, 2024 at 7:19 pm
This is so sick, it’s hilarious.
Gene McCain
June 25, 2024 at 7:22 pm
Really stupid. Pilots ought to just op out & start a new pilot friendly group.
David
June 25, 2024 at 7:24 pm
Ridiculous
Sherry Albert
June 25, 2024 at 7:27 pm
Dumb and Dumber!!!
Rosie Longfellow
June 25, 2024 at 7:32 pm
I am so sick of a small amount of people dictating to ALL of the public on what words we should use. I will NOT use the gender neutral pronouns. Any way you look at it, they are either a man or woman, male or female, boy or girl. Surely you can see that???
As for cockpit, I have no problem with that term. We’ve lived with that for many years and unless there’s a real “health threat” to anyone that is flying, why would you change it? Safety is the thing I look for. Changing rules for a handful of people doesn’t make sense to me. What about what the majority of the population and their opinions?? That’s my thoughts on this subject. Have a blessed day.
Libertarian at Heart
June 25, 2024 at 7:51 pm
God Bless you Rosie! If the union and everyone else involved is triggered by the use of father or mother, he or she needs to go to see a counselor. We have already seen numerous safety issues caused by “wokeness” in the airline industry…when will the insanity stop…it’s SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY – give us the best person for the job, PERIOD.
Charlie Bersch
June 25, 2024 at 7:56 pm
Ditto
Madeline G
June 25, 2024 at 7:36 pm
As a former flight attendant I think is the dumbest thing. Concentrate on safety instead. We all know from voice recordings of previous fatal crashes pilots often call for their mothers so are you doing to try to ban that too !!
Charles Glasgow
June 25, 2024 at 7:55 pm
We are all experiencing an Alice-in-wonderland world being foisted on us by a bunch of people who have never been exposed to a “normal” upbringing. They want us all to live in the void of their empty lifestyle and ongoing existence. A sorry bunch that are pandered to by spineless politicians. Men and women — please keep your chins up. The void will implode on its sorry self
Bill
June 25, 2024 at 8:12 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous! This is”woke”! No, no, no!
Ed Baxley
June 25, 2024 at 8:24 pm
As a military and civilian commercial pilot with over 7000 hours Ias well as over 25 years in the aviation safety field I am becoming increasingly concerned at the experience and maturity level of today’s airline pilots. With the Airforce and navy no longer churning out hoards of the best trained pilots in the world to the feed into the industry with thousands of hours at an early age commercial air travel will not be as safe as we used to take for granted. That their union would take up this tripe is proof positive.
Bud
June 25, 2024 at 8:26 pm
Why should anyone have to change how they speak for a very few people? If they feel bad about certain terms maybe they should seek help.
Velma
June 25, 2024 at 8:57 pm
This is all such nonsense. Leave it to a union to say what their members want when it is actually just a few people. I say, no.
Scott
June 25, 2024 at 9:01 pm
I will do my best to not fly on ALPA CARRIERS,
Frank
June 25, 2024 at 9:21 pm
What a bunch of nancy-boys.
David
June 25, 2024 at 9:23 pm
I’m beginning to think the pilots’ union needs to just shut up. Take care of the pilots and stay out of the political arena, they do not belong there.
Greg
June 25, 2024 at 9:48 pm
When are we going to live in the real world. The idea of changing words to cater to a minority is absurd. The “woke” world is constantly trying to get the rest of us to change to suit them. It’s now time for us to tell them to give up on their nonsensical ideas.
Richard Young
June 25, 2024 at 10:02 pm
This is so sick and hilarious at the same time
And to middleamericanews, there is NOTHING WRONG about this comment! I wrote this same comment earlier but, apparently, you decided it was not “appropriate”. If you do not approve of this comment and display it then I will unsubscribe from you!
Sunny
June 25, 2024 at 10:53 pm
This is only partially ridiculous. I can understand changing some terms as times change. We went from stewardess to flight attendant, fireman to fire fighter, policeman to police officer. However, cockpit is not derived from male anatomy, so it should be excluded from a term change, but technically, the term doesn’t make semantic sense. Flight deck would be a more practical term. The truly bizarre woke nonsense of all this is discouraging terms like mother and father, or wife, husband, etc. And referring to everyone as they/them. It’s insane quite frankly. I think a modicum of compromise can be made with those former terms, but the L+ community wants every demand met. What’s more insane is that many people are catering to these perversions and irrationality. On a quick sidenote, restrooms are predicated on one’s anatomy, a.k.a. biological sex, not their gender. Restroom signs should technically read male and female instead of men and women.
Pete
June 25, 2024 at 11:29 pm
While they’re at it, change words like menstrual, menopause, menstruation, mental, to ITSTRUAL, ITOPAUSE, ITSTRUATION, ITAL.
What about the signs on the restrooms. Maybe they should be called shitrooms and the signs could show PICS of some melons/eggs and sausage.
This WOKE crap is so ridiculous.
Deacon
October 11, 2024 at 6:29 pm
You made me laugh out loud. Great job.
Richard Nieber
June 25, 2024 at 11:48 pm
Get a life, stop catering to these idiots.
Ms Eleanor
June 26, 2024 at 1:59 am
what a crock of B.S. Grow up. why does the entire world need to change its words and way things are done to suit 3% of the damn population. I want you to stop having those disgusting so called parades , when you are undressed pushing your pelvis at kids and anyone near by. Looking like filth in your garbs. I want men to stop using female rest room because u are perverted, and competing in sports with girls and women , because you are too weak to compete with boys and men. So you give us what we want and we will consider ridiculous request
Holtsys
June 26, 2024 at 9:21 am
OMG, do they need someone to change their pants too! SMH
FedAllTheWayUpAndThenSome
June 26, 2024 at 9:50 am
A ‘flight deck’ is a take-off and landing surface on an aircraft carrier. The two are not similar, and definitely not the same. We’ll have folks on aircraft carriers being told to go to the flight deck, and they won’t know whether to stand on actual flight deck, or get into the aircraft. Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Herb
June 26, 2024 at 10:58 am
This age of NewSpeak is something Orwell would understand.
Lotus H.
June 26, 2024 at 2:19 pm
The majority can work with but should not be dictated to by the few.
Barry Gauch
June 26, 2024 at 4:35 pm
It will always be the cockpit to me , will we be required to call the cockpit of the F22 a flight deck , this is just more woke horseshit , something those of us living in the real world mustan should stand up against .
Kathleen Young
June 27, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Amen to all of the above comments! The people who are insistent on never being “offended” need a reality check! Snowflakes of the world are very sick souls!
Adam M
July 6, 2024 at 10:49 am
NO!. These radical loons need to pushed back into the closet and under the rock!