American Airlines’ plan to lower minimum flight attendant staffing requirements for certain aircraft has been critiqued by flight attendants. American Airlines states this move will greatly benefit customers. However, the union representing the airline’s flight attendants said the move will jeopardise the safety of staff and customers.
More suites but less staff
Starting next year, American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner business class will have new seats. American Airlines brands these seats as Flagship Suites. Compared to current business class seats, the Flagship Suites can fully enclose due to a privacy door. Additionally, they will have larger screens and increased storage space. The new 787-9‘s business class will consist of 51 suites. In addition to this, they will also have 32 premium economy seats. The current versions of the 789-9’s only have 30 business and 21 premium economy seats.
Currently, for a service on a Dreamliner to run, there must be nine flight attendants. However, American Airlines is proposing to lower the minimum staffing requirements for flight attendants on the newer versions of the aircraft. The airline has been in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to see if this is a possibility.
So if American Airlines has added more seats, why do they want to decrease the minimum staffing requirements?
It’ll Only be if Someone Calls in Sick
American Airlines says that they want to lower the threshold to seven to keep services running when there are delays and keep customers moving. If American Airlines reduces the minimum staffing requirement, the airline can allow flights to go ahead even if a flight attendant is sick and cannot be replaced.
In a statement to the press, the airline has made it clear that this move provides them with flexibility, only if needs be:
“There are no changes to the staffing plans of our Boeing 787 aircraft, which will continue to be staffed and scheduled for nine flight attendants. Consistent with other major network carriers, we will work with the FAA to determine if the Boeing 787-9P aircraft minimum can align with the FAA minimum of seven flight attendants — which would only apply in the rare circumstance that a flight attendant is ill, injured or otherwise not able to fly a flight for which they are scheduled.”
The Union isn’t Buying it
However, the union representing the airline’s flight attendants does not believe this to be a good enough reason. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) says that extra seats and a smaller crew compromise the flight’s safety:
“This is yet another unacceptable erosion of Flight Attendant staffing. It is unrealistic and unsafe to expect that seven Flight Attendants can adequately serve and ensure safety under the new configuration of the 787-9P, especially with an increase to 51 private Business Class Suites, with each seat bringing added Flight Attendant workload in an already understaffed cabin.”
The union will not work with the airline or the FAA regarding this, but will instead reject it:
“APFA categorically rejects the changes to the minimum crew requirement on the new 787-9P. We will not participate in the certification process for these changes, however, we will attend to represent our Members’ interests and ensure the FAA and all interested parties are aware of the safety concerns surrounding the proposed staffing on this new aircraft configuration.”
It seems that American Airlines will continue with its plan to work with the FAA. If this plan gets approved, ultimately it will be the airline’s flight attendants dealing with the outcome even if they sided with their union.
What are your thoughts about American Airline’s idea? Do you think it will work out in the way they want it to? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
