FA Rules
 

Had a first on an O'Dark thirty(05:30AM) flight on 29th. Us self loading cargo could not board due to absence of a FA who apparently overslept. The Delta ground crew borrowed a FA from a flight leaving 30 minutes later so they could "legally" board pax. The missing waif showed up around door closing time and we got off 20 minues late, but arrived on time in ATL. This is the first that I have heard that a minimum number of FA's is required to start the proceedings. News to anyone else?

This is news to me, too. But the more I think about it the more sense it makes.
I don't know the real reasons, but just imagine an emergency in the air and an understaffed crew.... Not a pleasant thought at all (well, neither is the emergency).
Or even just an understaffed crew all on its own (air-rrrrrrrage).
Though I would like to find out the actual reasons. http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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Smile, it might be contageous:)

oops...

[This message has been edited by dimples (edited 09-30-1999).]

No news really. This is SOP for all airlines. Each aircraft type has a minimum requirement of FA's before PAX can board. This is also why they will sometime bump a paying passenger for a FA that needs to get to another flight on time. Otherwise they can end up cancelling a flight due to insufficient crew.

Or just board the flight with a fewer nunber of FA's than is legally required. This has happened to me twice that I'm aware of, the last time being last month in CA.

The FAA sets minimums of F/A's per aircraft for boarding and deplaning. Same number for both. Accidents (incidents) have been know to happen during these periods, hence direction is needed for evacuation of the aircraft.

FAA regulations require at least one flight attendant for a certain number of passengers. I believe it's two up to fifty pax, then an additional one for every 50 pax.
(Corrections or additions?)

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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.

I'm pretty sure it's one for each fifty passengers, rounded up. (That's why most of the newer American Eagle planes seat just fewer than 50 passengers.)

Blatantly misleading information deleted

[This message has been edited by james (edited 10-01-1999).]

Every UA Express flight and Horizon Air flight I have been on have only 1 FA.

I have been on 3 Continental Express flights (30 seaters) with just 1 FA every time.

Hate to call ya on this one, but plenty of United Express and American Eagle flights I've been on have either zero or one FA... In the case of zero, the captain or 1st officer comes back and does the safety demo before the flight. And in the event of an evacuation, I imagine they'd be responsible for getting everyone off as well. The zero FA flights are UX flights on the BAe Jetstream 32 props, which seat 19. The 1 FA flights are slightly larger planes, up to the 50 seat Canadair CL65 regional jet.

mea culpa. I do apologise, I have never been on a flight with less than two FAs - but I have not been on too many turboprop flights in the US. I feel very sorry for you guys relying on the first officer, locked in the cockpit, having to rush out to help in an emergency. I hope if an when it makes a forced landing, the cockpit door doesn't jam. Frankly, that's just scary.

Can anyone comment (accurately http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif) on the position on jet flights (I know they are bigger, but is there a theortical minimum?)

Hahaha. Don't worry about the cockpit door jamming... most of those planes have a cockpit curtain. http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Do you have to pedal hard? http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif