4.26.19 – APFA National President’s Letter to FAA Acting Administrator Elwell

Yesterday, APFA National President Lori Bassani sent a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell requesting an update on the implementation of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Bill. The legislation included many provisions that affect the work that we as Flight Attendants do every day in keeping the flying public safe. Despite the clear timelines delineated in the legislation, the FAA has already missed several deadlines for the implementation of the bill.

10-Hours Minimum Rest: The FAA Bill mandated that the Flight Attendant minimum rest FAR increase from 8 to 10 hours. Flight Attendants are safety professionals who take care of hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. We deserve to be prepared for long duty days and travelers deserve Flight Attendants who are at their best should the worst occur. The FAA’s attention to this matter must be immediate.

Seat Size: The FAA Bill required updated studies on seat pitch and aircraft evacuation. With the steadily decreasing size of airplane seats, Flight Attendants have serious concerns about how smaller seats affect air rage, a passenger’s ability to assume the brace position and safe and timely cabin evacuations. An updated and realistic study on this topic is sorely needed.

Cabin Air Quality: The FAA Bill also took steps to address air quality in aircraft cabins. The FAA has been instructed to issue guidance to aviation professionals for reporting incidences of poor cabin air quality such as fumes and smoke and to convene a commission dedicated to research and reporting on this issue. These actions, while overdue, will help secure vital protections for some of aviation’s most important safety workers as well as the passengers that we protect daily.

“I am asking the FAA to update our membership on the progress that has been made in fully implementing this critical piece of bipartisan legislation. This Bill passed with virtually no opposition which means the Congress was emphatic that the FAA address these critical safety issues. It is time for the FAA to get moving.” Lori Bassani, APFA National President.

View Letter to FAA Acting Administrator Elwell

In Unity,

Allie Malis
APFA National Government Affairs Representative
[email protected]