Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF) Summit

Out of genuine curiosity, can someone tell me what is the benefit of joining the ADF or going to this summit?

It seems like a good way to make connections, but I was just wondering if there was anything else to it.
 
WannaBeDX said:
Out of genuine curiosity, can someone tell me what is the benefit of joining the ADF or going to this summit?

It seems like a good way to make connections, but I was just wondering if there was anything else to it.
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Well, if you join the ADF, going to the summit is free. Otherwise you have to pay an admission charge, unsure what the exact amount is.

The summit is indeed a good way to make connections, as well as potentially see what a major airline's dispatch office looks like, hear a lot of good information, and have fun. (Last time it was in Dallas we had an awesome party on Southwest's property after the SOC tour.)

Seriously, you learn information about your profession, make connections, and have a fun time while doing so. What's NOT to like?


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It was fun in Las Vegas last year. Tons of great people who were so helpful and nice to talk to, interesting speakers, and the TRACON tour was really cool. It was very well put together. Highly recommend it.
 
WannaBeDX said:
Out of genuine curiosity, can someone tell me what is the benefit of joining the ADF or going to this summit?

It seems like a good way to make connections, but I was just wondering if there was anything else to it.
Click to expand...

The ADF is the only organization, at least in the U.S., that represents your professional interests. It's a good way to stay on top of the latest news and new technology affecting the dispatch profession. And as others have said, it's a great opportunity to meet and network with other dispatchers. And it's only $30 a year.
 
Flying Saluki said:
The ADF is the only organization, at least in the U.S., that represents your professional interests.....
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This leads me to a question that I have never googled so will ask here instead, but is there an individual Dispatchers union? Or are Dispatchers rolled into the same union as say Ramp, Customer service, and mechanics? I assume we are def not part of ALPA though.


For perspective Dispatchers I would urge joining ADF even before you get the license if you're truly sure dispatching is the path you want to follow.

I joined as a student and was awarded a "full ride" scholarship for dispatcher training through them. I missed the last Summit but I definitely intend to make it to this one and agree that the networking you should be able to do is top notch. My interactions have been nothing but good with them, so I highly recommend joining! Like @Flying Saluki said, it is only $30 a year so its certainly worth it to me.
 
RedFive said:
This leads me to a question that I have never googled so will ask here instead, but is there an individual Dispatchers union? Or are Dispatchers rolled into the same union as say Ramp, Customer service, and mechanics? I assume we are def not part of ALPA though.
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Definitely not part of ALPA, they are pilots only. The two main unions that represent dispatchers at US carriers are the TWU (Transport Workers Union) which is not dispatchers only, and PAFCA (Professional Airline Flight Control Association) which is. I think that the Teamsters may represent dispatchers at one or two airlines as well, but all the majors are either PAFCA or TWU. PAFCA started at Delta, and United made the switch to them many years ago. PAFCA isn't just a majors only union, though - they also represented the dispatchers at ASA for a while. (When ASA and Expressjet merged, they ended up going back to the TWU.) I believe that many dispatchers at American want to leave the TWU and start their own association unrelated to PAFCA, but I have no idea what the timeline is on that. Without getting into politics/personal preferences, PAFCA is self-funded at the individual airline level, while TWU is a more traditional type of union that represents people not just in the airline industry but also in other industries (rail and transit.)
 
manniax said:
Definitely not part of ALPA, they are pilots only. The two main unions that represent dispatchers at US carriers are the TWU (Transport Workers Union) which is not dispatchers only, and PAFCA (Professional Airline Flight Control Association) which is. I think that the Teamsters may represent dispatchers at one or two airlines as well, but all the majors are either PAFCA or TWU. PAFCA started at Delta, and United made the switch to them many years ago. PAFCA isn't just a majors only union, though - they also represented the dispatchers at ASA for a while. (When ASA and Expressjet merged, they ended up going back to the TWU.) I believe that many dispatchers at American want to leave the TWU and start their own association unrelated to PAFCA, but I have no idea what the timeline is on that. Without getting into politics/personal preferences, PAFCA is self-funded at the individual airline level, while TWU is a more traditional type of union that represents people not just in the airline industry but also in other industries (rail and transit.)
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OK cool, thank you.
 
WannaBeDX said:
Out of genuine curiosity, can someone tell me what is the benefit of joining the ADF or going to this summit?

It seems like a good way to make connections, but I was just wondering if there was anything else to it.
Click to expand...

Mr. Manniax pretty much summed it up. We tend to outdo ourselves at SWA, so if you think 2014 was fun, we're gonna invent the word "funner".

Seriously though, it's a great place to meet Dispatchers from all over. We have great agendas/speakers. We have pictures on our Facebook page of previous ones.

jz
 
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