Last April, in collaboration with Inflight Safety, we made improvements to the Flight Attendant – Fatigue Risk Management Program (FA-FRMP). These improvements added features to the program to allow for pro-active reporting, enable data collection to support mitigations that might be necessary, as well as to redefine processes for Flight Attendants who become fatigued in the operation and subsequently need to remove themselves from flying obligation. The response to these improvements has been great.
In fact, Flight Attendants have submitted over 600 proactive, informational fatigue reports in the past nine months providing Inflight and AFA with valuable data.
The Flight Attendant Fatigue program is detailed on Flying Together and is the best place for you to gain an understanding of the program. By using the established reporting system, you can provide valuable information about potential contributory factors to fatigue on various fronts. These include Reserve flying, the Reserve assignment process, hotel experiences, pairing construction, the availability (or lack thereof) of rest options and much more.
We continuously review reports and, as a result of those reports, we are working with several Inflight departments to take a closer look at the management of Reserve flying, availability of rest facilities, pairings with all-nighter flights (especially those with flights preceding and/or following the all-nighter segment) and hotel noise issues. Our goal is to identify and mitigate fatigue-promoting issues while working within the structure of the current contract. Your reporting provides supporting data to help us develop a clearer understanding of what has potential to create and/or contribute to fatigue in the operation.
Over the next several weeks, AFA and Inflight Communications will feature articles addressing Flight Attendant questions while also providing helpful tips and insight on mitigating fatigue. In the meantime, we encourage you to keep reporting. Remember to be as specific and thorough as possible when submitting a report.
Your reports help us provide clarity and a better understanding of where the focus should be on the issues raised and to take the necessary, proactive steps to resolve them.