American Airlines Flight Attendants Lose Legal Bid to Increase Inflight Staffing Levels Which Has Doubled Service Times On Some Airplanes

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents crew members at American Airlines, has lost a legal bid to increase inflight staffing levels to pre-pandemic levels after an independent arbitrator ruled that the Fort Worth-based carrier was within its rights to cut flight attendant numbers on some airplanes.

The issue at stake wasn’t that American Airlines was trying to send out flights with fewer crew members than are legally required – the requirement to have at least one flight attendant per 50 seats is non-negotiable. However, like many airlines, AA often staffs flights with more flight attendants than required.

When American Airlines first cut flight attendant numbers on certain aircraft types in October 2020, far fewer passengers were flying, and inflight service had been cut as part of drastic COVID-era safety precautions to protect flight attendants from getting sick.

But when passengers started to return, and service levels were restored, American Airlines opted not to bring back pre-pandemic staffing levels on airplanes used on high-yield, premium routes.

For example, the Boeing 777-300 aircraft operating in ‘international premium destinations’ lost two crew members, while all other aircraft types that operate international, premium transcontinental, and premium services in Hawaii lost one crew member.

With American Airlines now flying its planes fuller than ever, the decision to cut flight attendant numbers has had a significant impact on inflight service levels. On some aircraft types, First Class meal service now takes up to 2.5 hours to complete – more than double the time it took to complete before the pandemic.

Independent arbitrators, however, concluded that any impact that longer service times might have on the passenger experience wasn’t the concern of the flight attendant union and if passengers were that upset, they had the power to ‘vote with their feet.’

The arbitrator even suggested that some passengers might enjoy the more leisurely pace at which the meal service takes, and that point might be backed up by evidence provided by American Airlines, which indicated that customer satisfaction scores had increased following the decision to cut flight attendant numbers.

Years ago, American Airlines ordered flight attendants to complete certain tasks within a set timeframe, and if meal service wasn’t completed within the timeframes set by the airline, flight attendants faced disciplinary action.

If those rules were still enforced, the arbitrator concluded that the union would have a good legal case to contest the change in staffing levels, but AA’s Managing Director of Inflight Dining, Timothy McMahan testified that the airline “would never discipline a flight attendant for not having completed service in a certain alottment of time.”

And while the arbitration board agreed that the change in staffing levels had increased the workload for flight attendants, it found that crew members still had plenty of ‘personal time’ for meal breaks and inflight rest – much more than the agreed flight attendant contract stipulates.

On international flights of around ten hours operated on the Boeing 777-300, an expert report found that flight attendants were achieving nearly three hours of personal time. Similar flight durations operated by the Boeing 777-200 gave flight attendants more than three hours of personal time.

The flight attendant contract guarantees crew members just 45 minutes of inflight rest for flights of this duration.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants says the arbitrator’s ruling is “fundamentally flawed” and “fails to account for the reality of Flight Attendants under the current staffing levels.”

“While reports suggest that Flight Attendants have ample time for breaks, this does not accurately reflect the stress and exhaustion caused by having to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, including safety duties, customer service, and meal preparation,” the union explained.

The union continues to argue that flight attendant reductions are having an impact on customer satisfaction, especially in premium cabins.

An internal memo shared by the union with AA’s flight attendant workforce continued: “The decision to retain these reduced staffing levels clearly shows the company does not care about their Flight Attendants or the impact to the service we provide every day.”

This new rift between the union and AA’s management comes just months after the two sides reached an agreement on a new contract that was supposed to heal deep wounds and set the airline on a path of improved inflight service.