DENVER — Flight attendants are now set to get more time off between flights after years-long battle.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated the new rule Tuesday, increasing off-time to 10 consecutive hours after a shift of 14 hours or less. Before, it was nine hours, but could be reduced to eight in certain circumstances.
That off-time starts 30 minutes after arrival. But flight attendants say when you factor in travel time to and from airports and hotels, that could leave them working on as little as five hours of sleep.
Lyn Montgomery, president and lead negotiator of Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents Southwest Airlines flight attendants, said flyers will also see the impact.
"You know, flight attendants are infamous for not letting you see how many safety duties we're actually completing. And we're the only first responders that actually have to serve you with a smile and have make sure you have a great experience onboard the aircraft. So we're quite unique," Montgomery said. "So I think what you're going to see are safer, more rested flight attendants who don't have to paste a smile on, but they actually have a smile on their face."
While this is an accomplishment, Montgomery said it is not enough.
"It's a beginning, it's a start. But we also need to see an end to 24-hour on-call shifts, where flight attendants are basically staying up 24 hours a day, because they go on-call at three in the morning, and they can be contacted all throughout the day. And they have only two hours to be able to get to work once they get that notification," she said.
The new rules take effect in 30 days. Flight attendants say flight operations should not be impacted because airlines will accommodate for the increased time off.
