AFA Testifies on Success of PSP; Disruptive Passengers
December 17, 2021 - AFA International President Sara Nelson testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, about the success of the Payroll Support Program (PSP)—how it kept us connected to our jobs, paychecks, and healthcare, as the industry faced its largest crisis in 100 years.
“I know that we’re in a better place than where we would have been,” said committee chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Senators agreed that our #WorkersFirst program was vital to saving aviation workers' livelihoods and maintaining a stable airline industry.
Sara also testified on the issue of disruptive passengers and how this threatens our safety and security. “The problem with aviation right now is the violence towards Flight Attendants and other aviation workers that has remained constant at record high levels during the biggest crisis our nation has faced in 100 years.” Read our full written testimony and watch Sara’s oral testimony.
Setting the Record Straight on Masks Onboard
There have been some reports about comments during the hearing on the mask mandate — that have since been clarified: the airline industry supports the federal mask mandate. The biggest problem for Flight Attendants is inconsistent messaging that puts us in harm’s way on the line.
We remind the public that masks are indeed a key component of creating the safest conditions possible during air travel. As this surge shows, we are still in the middle of this pandemic. To ensure the health of aviation workers and the economic recovery of our industry, we must continue applying these important public health measures throughout our aviation system for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency. This includes running the air filtration system while on the ground on planes where HEPA filters are present too.
We all look forward to the day when masks are no longer needed. We need everyone to get vaccinated to make this possible. As we've said for months, get vaxxed, boosted, wear a mask, be kind and come fly with us.
