Flight Attendant Union and FAA Partner On Passenger Safety
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International President Veda Shook and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt kicked off the summer travel season today with some helpful tips to educate passengers on how to make air travel as safe as possible.
“As first responders in the cabin, a Flight Attendant’s foremost responsibility is to help protect the safety and security of our passengers. Through comprehensive training and extensive experience, Flight Attendants are well equipped to ensure passengers arrive at their destination safely and securely,” said Shook.
AFA and the FAA issued some helpful guidelines for passengers to keep in mind when flying this summer:
Listen to the Flight Attendants – Pay attention to all crew instructions as well as the safety briefing.
Buckle Up - Passengers should wear their seat belts during the entire flight — even if the seat belt sign is off.
Follow instructions regarding Personal Electronic Devices - If an emergency incident were to occur during a critical portion of your flight, Portable Electronic Devices could fly around the cabin if not properly stowed, distract passengers from hearing Flight Attendant instructions, or generate electronic signals that interfere with critical aircraft instruments.
Limit Carry-on Bags - Thousands of injuries linked to carry-on baggage occur each year. Bring only your valuables on board, such as cameras, medication and jewelry, and check the rest of your luggage.
Put Your Child Under Two in a Certified Child Restraint Seat - This is the safest way for children under two to fly. Aviation experts agree that holding a child on a parent’s lap is unsafe, and the practice has led to needless injuries and deaths in turbulence and crashes because the children were not restrained in safety seats.
“We’re calling on passengers to take an active role in aviation safety,” said Administrator Babbitt. “We are committed to safety and we are asking every passenger to take just a few minutes to follow our safety tips and, most importantly, pay attention to your flight and cabin crews.”
For over 65 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
