Pilots Association: Words like 'cockpit,' 'manpower,' and 'father' are way too offensive for today's culture

When airline passengers go flying, there are generally two concerns they have–one, that their flight arrives at the destination on time and with all of its equipment intact, and two that the flight crew flying the plane knows what it’s doing. The world’s largest pilot’s union has more “pressing” concerns–diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

At a time when equipment failures including door plugs falling out of the fuselage, landing gear collapsing, jet engines catching fire, and near misses at airports in the skies and on the ground are a regular occurrence, the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) is more concerned that its members use “inclusive” language. 

A DEI guide published and distributed to members in 2021 is only now gaining publicity, no doubt in light of the above incidents, instructed its pilot members to refrain from using such “offensive” words as “cockpit,” “airmen,” and “manpower” in order to “create a more inclusive workplace,” The Daily Wire reports. 

It should be remembered that last year, the very inclusive and intersectional Department of Transportation, with its DEI secretary Pete Buttigieg, changed the advisory service “Notice to Airmen” to “Notice to Air Missions,” again for “inclusivity.” 

The ALPA guide notes the following, according to Breitbart:

“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. Many women have heard a variation of ‘It’s called a cockpit for a reason’ by a male pilot, suggesting that women do not belong in the piloting profession. The intent behind the word is important…” 

If the above isn’t bad enough, the ALPA also has a problem with the terms “mother” and “father,” claiming those words “may inadvertently ignore different family structures,” such as “Caregivers, same-sex parents, stepparents, families with adopted members, and more,” Breitbart reported. Seriously. 

Suggestions for terminology changes include “flight deck” for cockpit, and “people/human power” for manpower. The latter flows right off the tongue. 

The ALPA issued a statement to Fox News which basically said a whole lot of nothing:

Flying is the safest mode of transportation in the world thanks in large part to airline pilots, professionals, that are all held to the highest training and qualification standards. There are real threats to aviation safety like efforts to replace pilots with automation or lower training and experience standards, but opening the doors of opportunity to ensure we have a robust supply of qualified aviators isn’t one of them. 

The ALPA statement is just the latest example of wokeness infecting the aviation industry. For example in 2021, the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, was eviscerated after stating that the airline had “committed that 50% of the classes will be someone or people of color,” qualifications be damned. 

Again, most airline passengers don’t give a rip if their pilots are white, black, brown, green or purple…as long as they can fly the damn plane.