I agree with the new policy at Southwest. They, and us, work long duty days, and should be able to get off to get food, take a break, etc. I applaud SW for getting this rule back in place. Maybe at the new US Airways we will get the same.
sky high states: And, why dont YOU educate yourself on why this rule was REALLY mandated====>
***SPECIAL EDITION***
July 11, 2007
Message From the International President
Dear AFA-CWA Member,
In a bid for greater flexibility in crew member responsibilities, Southwest Airlines sought and received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to circumvent certain federal aviation regulations. The exemption granted by the FAA allows the substitution of a pilot for a flight attendant "during boarding at an intermediate stop and to reduce the number of required flight attendants onboard during the deplaning of passengers at an intermediate stop."
While, at face value, this exemption would enable flight attendants the opportunity to purchase meals between flights, it is also a back door fix for the chronic under staffing at Southwest and other carriers. That is why airlines have already begun queuing up at the doorstep of the FAA seeking similar exemptions. (American Airlines, AirTran, Delta, US Airways and America West airlines supported the Southwest petition to the FAA and have stated their interest in applying the exemption to their operations as well.)
Your AFA-CWA International officers felt it was important to inform you about what this exemption really means in terms of our jobs. The FAA claimed they granted the exemption in the public interest as it would allow flight attendants to perform safety, operational and service responsibilities as necessary within the Southwest 25-minute turn time. The exemption creates additional duties for flight attendants which include obtaining wheelchairs for passengers, walking unaccompanied minors off the aircraft, and assisting the traveling public in other ways. Southwest argued that, without this ability, ground times would increase resulting in higher costs and increased airfares.
Let us be very clear: First and foremost, this exemption is not about allowing flight attendants to get off the aircraft to get food or deal with personal issues. This exemption was crafted to enable flight attendants to perform additional duties off the aircraft to compensate for gate agent staffing shortages. Our concern is that, next, the airlines may ask flight attendants to pull passenger tickets.
The ruling exempts Southwest Airlines from complying with CFR 121.391(a) and 121.393(B). These important federal regulations govern flight attendant crew complements based on the weight and seating capacity of an aircraft and provide specific circumstances when minimum crew complements can be reduced during intermediate stops on the ground. It will not affect staffing requirements for originating flights.
The FAA claims that airlines will be able to maintain an equivalent safety level under the exemption because the rate of incidents that occur at the gate is low and because the pilots substituting as flight attendant must be appropriately trained n the specific flight attendant emergency roles and responsibilities. However, the exemption does not state what this 'training' of pilots will entail. At a minimum, the FAA exemption states that only a pilot standing in the passenger cabin could be considered a substitute and not a pilot seated in the flight deck.
The union that represents the Southwest pilots committed that pilots will be "effective in commanding passenger attention during a cabin evacuation since most passengers view a pilot in uniform as the ultimate operations authority figure on the aircraft."
The Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents Southwest Airlines flight attendants, submitted written support for the management petition last year. TWU emphasized first that the exemption would allow their members to "carry out other duties such as taking care of special needs customers (like children traveling alone or wheel chair bound passengers), and making sure that operation issues are reliably satisfied." To their members, TWU painted this ruling as an avenue for flight attendants to step off the aircraft and grab a meal during long duty days. However, obtaining food on intermediate stops was secondary in their written filing submitted to the FAA--it was an afterthought.
AFA-CWA filed a strongly worded opposition response to the Southwest petition last year. ALPA, the Teamsters and APFA (the union representing the American Airlines flight attendants) joined us in opposing this short-sighted exemption petition. We are now evaluating our next options. Today, I directed the AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Department to further research this issue and, if appropriate, to file a timely appeal with the FAA as I believe this ruling will set a harmful precedent for our members.
Southwest management sought this exemption to control costs at the airline by piling more work on the backs of our fellow flight attendants there. Management at other airlines will surely see this ruling as an opportunity for them to layer more duties and responsibilities on flight attendants beyond the environment as well. As we have witnessed with other industry trends, bankruptcy notwithstanding, the appetite for cost cutting at other airlines will cause them to follow suit.
In solidarity,
Pat Friend
only stating opinions
