FAA announces more rest to be allowed for flight attendants. Flight attendants will soon have additional required rest time between flights. This is according to federal aviation regulators who made the announcement on Tuesday.
According to current FAA regulations, an airline is generally required to give a flight attendant a nine-hour break after being on duty for 14 hours or fewer.
The new regulation extends the rest interval between shifts to ten hours.
In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, “Flight attendants, like all key transportation workers, work hard every day to keep the traveling public safe. We owe them our entire support.” This new regulation will make it simpler for flight attendants to perform their duties. Keeping us all secure in the air.
Flight crew unions have lobbied hard for the change. They are claiming that after 14-hour shifts, flight attendants are severely overworked and exhausted.
The Federal Aviation Administration informed airlines of the upcoming rule changes last week, according to a source familiar with the procedure on Monday.
The proposed regulatory change was the subject of two public comment periods, which the FAA held in 2019 and 2021. More than 1,000 comments were reviewed, according to the government.
Congress initially approved the modification in 2018, but the Trump Administration did not implement it.
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, declared last week that finishing the regulations before he leaves office was a top priority.
The Federal Register will publish the final rule, and 30 days later it will go into force.
More rest to be allowed for flight attendants: a difficult period for flight attendants
“It’s past due! We must be well-rested and prepared to carry out our responsibilities since we are aviation’s first responders and last line of defense “Sara Nelson, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president, issued a statement.
Nelson claimed that COVID’s lengthy shifts, brief overnights, and hostile flying environments had only served to widen the safety gap.
Flight attendants have had a difficult year in 2022 due to a rise in demand as pandemic restrictions lifted.
