Flight Attendant Union Statement on FCC Terminating Inflight Calls Proceeding
Washington, DC (April 10, 2017) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson released the following statement on the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) announcement that it would terminate its inflight calls proceeding:
“The FCC is making the right decision not to pursue lifting the ban on inflight calls. The traveling public and crew members do not want voice calls on planes. It would jeopardize safety, security, increase conflict and exponentially raise the annoyance level of everyone in the cabin. Now the DOT should follow the FCC’s lead and ban voice calls inflight. That’s the only sensible, safe and secure course of action.”
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 71 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
Read MoreFlight Attendants Push Again for Ban on Voice Calls In Flight
Submit your comments to the DOT now
WASHINGTON, DC (December 8, 2016) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) President Sara Nelson released the following statement on today’s proposed rulemaking from the Department of Transportation’s on Notification of Voice Calls on Aircraft.
“The American public does not want voice communication in flight. Anything short of banning voice calls is reckless. It threatens aviation security and increases the likelihood of conflict in the skies. It threatens safety for crews and passengers. AFA will continue to press for a complete ban of inflight voice calls. No calls on planes. Period.”
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 71 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
Read MoreContinue the Ban on In-Flight Use of Cell Phones
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reconsidering the decades-long ban on in-flight use of cell phones. This would not only compromise Flight Attendants’ ability to maintain order in an emergency, and to perform safety checks and demonstrations, the ill-advised change is opposed by the vast majority of passengers.
#NoCallsOnPlanes
If the FCC goes through with their proposal, eventually Flight Attendants will be forced to talk over passenger conversations when delivering critical safety information, hindering cabin preparations. Furthermore, research shows that cell phone use interferes with cognitive functioning to the point that, when using a cell phone, people are less likely to offer assistance potentially jeopardizing passenger safety and survival during an emergency.
Read MoreNo Calls On Planes
TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Senators To Co-Sponsor the “Commercial Flight Courtesy Act”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced that it is reconsidering the decades-long ban on the in-flight use of cell phones. Expanded cell phone use will compromise Flight Attendants’ ability to maintain order in an emergency, increase cabin noise and tension among passengers, and add unacceptable risk to aviation security. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA opposes this ill-advised change. Call your U.S. Representative today and urge them to show support and sign on to the letter by Congressmen DeFazio (D-OR) and Michael Grimm (R-NY) to FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler opposing this policy change.