Flight Attendants Fight Congressional Attempts to Make Security Training Voluntary

[If it's voluntary, passengers will pay for it; if it's mandatory, taxpayers will pay for it. If it's voluntary, an airline could use it as a competitve advantage: "Why would you fly those unsafe airlines, when Treetop Air Service really cares?" The problem our rulers see is, PAX probably wouldn't agree to the extra expense, sensing as they do that current level of security is sufficient, and expensive enough. Therefore, if it's gonna happen, it'll have to be forced on us --ed.]

Patricia Friend, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO sent the following letter on February 7 to conferees on the Omnibus Appropriations bill to illuminate stealth attempts to weaken vital flight attendant security training provisions and put millions of American lives at risk of another terrorist attack on the airline industry.

Dear Conferee:

On behalf of the 50,000 members of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), AFL-CIO, I strongly urge you to oppose all efforts to include provisions in the 2003 Omnibus Appropriations legislation that would make flight attendant security training voluntary. Please defeat any efforts in the Conference Committee to water down our and Congress' successful efforts to protect American citizens from another catastrophic terrorist attack on our aviation system.

On September 11th, flight attendants were the first victims of the heinous terrorist attacks. The world and air travel have changed dramatically since that tragic day.

As we are on the verge of war with Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, we know that our country will be at great risk from yet another horrible attack and our aviation system is still a primary target of terrorists' horrible goals. And now today, the Homeland Security Department has increased our threat awareness to code orange, the second highest status. Now more than ever it's crucial that all flight attendants receive consistent and mandatory security training in order to defend themselves, the passengers and the aircraft from yet another attack. With pilots armed and barricaded behind cockpit doors, flight attendants are the last line of defense in the aircraft cabin. It is a tragic mistake to ignore this reality and to make vital security training voluntary. If such training is voluntary, it will leave yet another loophole in our aviation security system that will allow any determined terrorist to wreak havoc and bloodshed on our country yet again.

All aircraft cabin crew, pilots and air marshals must be aware of their proper roles and be adequately trained should another hijacking attempt occur. To make this training voluntary only increases the likelihood that another attack will be successful in killing many Americans in an aircraft cabin, even without reaching the cockpit door. Remember, the goal of a terrorist is to strike fear into the hearts of all Americans and to prevent them from going about their daily routine. An aircraft that safely lands with everyone in the cabin dead from a terrorist's hands will no doubt achieve that goal.

All other flight attendant training to protect the lives of passengers is mandatory. We can't opt out of learning how to fight in-flight fires, first aid training or evacuation procedures, so why make training that could potentially save thousands of human lives voluntary? To claim that this training is too expensive and burdensome is equivalent to putting a dollar amount on an innocent human life. The basic function of government is to protect its citizens from attack and harm. To believe the rhetoric and uncaring pleas of those who claim it is too expensive to train all flight crew in the methods and means to protect thousands of innocent lives is to neglect the government's solemn duty to protect all Americans from attack, both foreign and domestic.

The U.S. Congress did the right thing in requiring flight attendant security training. To stealthily change those provisions now in the omnibus appropriations bill is a cowardly, greedy move that will place thousands upon thousands of American lives at risk. Many of us asked ourselves after September 11th, what could we have done differently to prevent such a horrible attack? Congress answered by closing many of the security loopholes in the aviation system, including mandating flight attendant security training. If this vital training is made voluntary, I believe we will be asking ourselves the same questions again and regretting the fact we did not take all the necessary steps to protect ourselves.

Again, please strongly oppose all efforts to make flight attendant security training voluntary.

    Respectfully,
    Patricia A. Friend
    International President

FMI: www.afanet.org