FAA proposes to extend required rest for flight attendants

The FAA is moving forward with a rule mandating that airline flight attendants be given at least an extra hour of rest following duty periods. On 2 November, the agency released a proposed rule that, if adopted, would set the minimum rest period at 10h for flight attendants working duty periods up to 14h. That marks a change from current FAA regulations, which require attendants working such duty periods receive either 9h of rest, or a reduced-rest of 8h if they later receive 10h. The proposed changes does not include any reduced-rest option. The FAA is changing the rules in response to a requirement in the agency’s 2018 funding bill. In regulatory documents, the FAA estimates the change could cost each of the four largest US airlines about $23m annually, with total industry costs of between about $67m and $118m annually. The move has strong support from unions. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and other labour groups cite the important safety roles performed by flight attendants and say some airlines already grant attendants 10h of rest, “without incurring additional costs”. Airlines for America pegs the cost of the proposal at $1b over ten years for all US carriers, according to regulatory documents. <br/>