Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

WASHINGTON — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) are extremely grateful to Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative John Garamendi (D-CA), along with Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and U.S. Representatives Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Kaiali'I Kahele (D-HI), and Don Bacon (R-NE), who introduced the updated Cabin Air Safety Act of 2022.

“Senators Blumenthal, Feinstein, and Markey and Representatives Garamendi, Fitzpatrick, Kahele, and Bacon are true champions for clean air onboard planes for Flight Attendants and passengers. We thank them and encourage their colleagues to join this legislation as cosponsors. Our workspace is the public’s travel space and in that space today, crews and passengers are breathing toxins and it has to stop,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson.

AFA’s efforts to improve the cabin environment span the last three decades, from advocating for smoke-free skies to stopping poisonous pesticide spraying to addressing the dangers of contaminated bleed air. We advocate that the airline industry either end the use of engine bleed air for cabin air supply like on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or mitigate the circulation of contaminated air. In 2015, AFA was an active member of the ICAO task group that published Circular 344, which advises airlines to enhance their operational procedures to minimize onboard exposure to smoke and fumes. This led to an FAA Safety Alert published in 2018.

“Over the last two years of the pandemic we've learned the importance of clean air on planes -- not just from COVID but other toxins. Most Americans go to work with the expectation of breathing clean air. Flight Attendants don’t have this guarantee, and it is past time for that to change.” Nelson stated.

The bill would protect airline passengers and crew from the harmful effects of toxic cabin air.

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The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, (AFA) AFL-CIO represents nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 17 airlines. AFA is the union that has advanced the Flight Attendant profession for 75 years, beating back discrimination and improving wages, benefits, working conditions, and aviation safety, health and security in the aircraft cabin. AFA also partners with the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.