Flight Attendants Urge Calm and Patience While We Wait for Further Instructions

Date: April 18, 2022

AFA Press Release

Flight Attendants Urge Calm and Patience While We Wait for Further Instructions

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 18, 2022) — U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle from Florida issued a decision today to vacate the federal mask mandate in transportation, although it is not yet clear what this means for travelers today. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA) issued the following statement: 

"We will soon have more legal analysis on what this means and what next steps may be taken in court by the government. We urge focus on clear communication so that Flight Attendants and other frontline workers are not subject to more violence created by uncertainty and confusion.

"Immediately, we urge calm and consistency in the airports and on planes. The last thing we need for workers on the frontlines or passengers traveling today is confusion and chaos. Traveling can be stressful enough and safety comes first with respect for everyone utilizing collective modes of transportation.

"In aviation operations, it is impossible to simply flip a switch from one minute to the next. It takes a minimum of 24-48 hours to implement new procedures and communicate this throughout the entire network. Policies and procedures must be updated and thoroughly communicated to hundreds of thousands of employees, along with millions of travelers. Announcements and signage, electronic and physical must be updated. 

"We encourage travelers to check the latest updates from airlines for specific travel requirements while airlines implement any new policies. Flight Attendants and other aviation workers should check for the latest instructions from your airline and proceed accordingly. 

"While we all look forward to the day masks are no longer required, we also know the federal mask mandate for transportation was critical in its early days for confidence in travel and safety for workers and travelers while mitigation factors such as vaccines, adequate supplies of PPE, and testing became more accessible. We urge all leaders to consider a thoughtful transition and implementation to any new policy, which also includes ongoing personal choice of protection for crew and passengers.

"We urge everyone to practice patience, remain calm, and to continue to follow crewmember instructions. And we remind passengers that it is legally required to follow crewmember instructions, and that disruptive behavior has serious consequences as it puts everyone at risk. Our work space is your travel space. Let's get where we're going, together."

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The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, (AFA) AFL-CIO represents nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 17 airlines. AFA is the union that has advanced the Flight Attendant profession for 75 years, beating back discrimination and improving wages, benefits, working conditions, and aviation safety, health and security in the aircraft cabin. AFA also partners with the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org