Flight attendants in the United States will now get more rest between workdays- no less than 10 hours – in line with the new rule the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Tuesday.
Following Tuesday’s announcement, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson emphasized in a statement that proper rest is critical for flight attendants to do their work as aviation’s first responders.
Former House Transportation Chair Norm Mineta first proposed the minimum rest in 1994, and the current Chair Peter DeFazio had pushed for the rule and pressed the FAA on the delays in promulgating it along with the Senate Commerce Committee Chair, Sen. Maria Cantwell.
Underscoring that flight attendants perform critical safety roles on behalf of the flying public, Cantwell said that they have long deserved the same rest periods as the pilots, reiterating her regrets that the previous FAA bill had given flight attendants less rest time than pilots.
FAA published the proposed new rule nearly a year ago after Congress mandated increased rest breaks in the 2018 FAA reauthorization. Airline companies have 90 days to comply with the new rule.
The law, which entitles flight attendants to a minimum rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours when they’re scheduled to work for 14 hours or less, allows for no reduction of the rest period under any circumstances.
Pilots are already guaranteed 10 hours’ rest.
Announcing the rule, acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolan underscored that pilots cannot fly the plane without the safety expertise and support of flight attendants, which are trained to act during emergencies, administer first aid, conduct evacuations, and manage medical emergencies, so their rest is crucial.
Flight attendants’ mandatory rest between flight attendant shifts until now was nine hours which could even be reduced to eight in some circumstances.
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