Current Media Releases

For Immediate Release:  July 20, 2006
Contact:  Corey Caldwell,  202-434-0586
 

AFA-CWA Gets Funds For Follow-Up Fatigue Study

Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee today authorized $500,000 to be spent on researching the effects of flight attendant fatigue, per the recommendation of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report released earlier this month.  The follow-up, two-year study will be conducted by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) and is scheduled to be submitted back to Congress on December 31, 2008.

"Flight attendant fatigue is a chronic problem in the aviation industry and it continues to jeopardize our ability to fulfill important safety and security roles," said Patricia Friend, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) International President.  "Fatigue has been overlooked for too long which is what makes this study even more vital."

The results of the initial report confirmed that flight attendants are frequently "experiencing issues consistent with fatigue and tiredness" and that "fatigue appears to be a salient issue warranting further evaluation."

The report cites that, "based on the incident reports, flight attendant comments, and the outcomes from the sampling of actual duty and rest time, it appears that the opportunities for adequate rest for flight attendants need to be further evaluated."

The study also mentions that regulations created by the FAA governing flight attendant duty and rest requirements are "minimal standards."  To truly address fatigue, the regulations must be combined with "sound and realistic operational practices," as well as personal strategies. 

Friend also added, "We are pleased that steps are being taken to move forward, end flight attendant fatigue and finally enact meaningful regulations that will address this problem."

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.  More than 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world's largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO.  Visit us at www.afanet.org.