Legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives Wednesday that is intentioned to improve aircraft cabin safety by eliminating all innovation among the various airline programs for emergency training and certification for cabin crew members. Flight attendants from dozens of airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, joined Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY) to unveil new legislation that will standardize and certify flight attendants in the emergency and security training they receive.

"Flight attendants are trained in federally-mandated evacuation, fire fighting, medical emergency and security procedures, but remain the only safety and security sensitive airline employees whose training is not certified by the Federal Aviation Administration," said AFA International President Patricia Friend. "Flight attendants are solely responsible for safety and security in the passenger cabin. The lack of certification has resulted in a patchwork of training programs that have made the overall FAA training standards for the aircraft crew anything but standard."

Union calls FAA system inadequate:

Currently, airlines must abide by a minimum training formula determined by the FAA. However, waivers to the FAA standards are routinely given out at the local level, eroding the integrity of the training and ensuring that no two trainings throughout the system are alike even though the training may be for the same type of aircraft.

By only making waivers available at the headquarters level, our rulers figure, the FAA can ensure a premium level of training for all flight attendants who work for U.S. based airlines. Additionally, with one standard (outside the waivers), flight attendant training would be portable for those professionals who change airlines mid-career.

As it stands now, if a veteran flight attendant is laid off or chooses to work for another airline, the lawmakers claim "she must start her training from scratch at the new airline." Under the new system, flight attendants would be certified in their medical, security and safety roles to work on specific types of aircraft, regardless of the carrier. Airlines could potentially save money by hiring seasoned professionals who only need a one-to-two-day recurrent training than the initial three to eight week training.

"Our training must reflect the requirements that are continually added to the flight attendant profession," Friend said. "We are the firefighters, medics, mediators and security guards onboard the aircraft and we must make sure that each and every flight attendant is fully trained to provide the services that the flying public expects and deserves."

TSA Gets in on This, Too...

In order to be certified, flight attendants will be required to successfully complete the training requirements established by the FAA and the TSA and successfully perform the assigned duties of a cabin crew member and complete an approved proficiency check.

FMI: www.afanet.org