The Basics

 

As airlines restructure and cut corners to make ends meet, flight attendants are experiencing a new industry trend that must be put to rest.  At many AFA carriers, flight attendants are being forced to work to the point of exhaustion because of poorly scheduled duty time, lengthened duty days due to concessionary bargaining, or flagrant company violations of flight attendants’ schedules.

 

The fatigue that more and more AFA members are experiencing on the job can affect our emergency and evacuation duties.  In an era of heightened security with the need for constant vigilance, we cannot afford to be exhausted on the job. 

 

In 1996, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged that flight attendant fatigue could impact our job performance and implemented the Flight Attendant Duty and Rest requirements.  Current FAA flight attendant rest rules require a minimum of 9 hours, which can be reduced to 8 hours if the following rest period is 10 hours.  If, the “rest period” includes exiting the airport, local transportation to a rest facility (hotel), a meal, preparation for bed at night and then transportation back to the airport for the next duty day, perhaps the minimum rest period requirements need to be revisited.

 

If you have experienced fatigue or duty time problems, please fill out the survey below.

 

 

FAA Fatigue Study Released

 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally released a long-awaited report on the problems of flight attendant fatigue. The report recognizes fatigue as a problem, acknowledges that the very limited 6 - 8 month time frame the researchers were given by the FAA to conduct the study was not adequate, and clearly states that a more meaningful, detailed study must be conducted, including many surveys and research that will be helpful to AFA-CWA members. For full details, download PDF versions of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Flight Attendant Fatigue report.

AFA Activity and Hot Topics

 

Speech "Fatigue: The Flight Attendant Perspective" given by Candace Kolander, AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Coordinator at the 26th Annual International Aircraft Cabin Safety Symposium, February 2009.

 

Testimony of Pat Friend, AFA-CWA International President, to the Subcommittee on Aviation of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, June 6, 2007

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

NTSB Safety Recommendation A-99-45:  Three safety recommendations regarding fatigue in aviation, issued in 1999