AFA Responds to Department of Transportation Tentative Certification of SkyWest Charter
March 18, 2025 — Last month, the Department of Transportation tentatively certified SkyWest Charter to begin operating as a commuter air carrier, over the objections of our union, the IAM, PASS, and ALPA.
Our latest objection seeks to stop full certification of this massive safety loophole. With this tentative certification, SkyWest will be able to operate under less-restrictive Part 135 regulations, as opposed to the Part 121 regulations that apply to nearly all commercial flights. This means Flight Attendants working Part 135 flights can be given less than 10 hours rest, pilots can fly with as little as 250 hours as opposed to 1,500 hours of experience, and passengers do not have to be TSA-screened. These are just a few examples. AFA has long opposed the public charter loophole because it allows operators to bypass safety regulations that have been put in place following tragic events. No one should be able to skirt these regulations and put our safety and security at risk.
We will work with our allies in Congress to pass legislation like the Safer Skies Act, which would close the public charter loophole that SkyWest is trying to exploit. And in the meantime, we will continue to fight this certification.
