Flight Attendant Certification Notice – 04.02

2. DISTRIBUTION. This notice is distributed to the division level in the Flight Standards Service in Washington headquarters; to the branch level in the regional Flight Standards divisions; to the Flight Standards District Offices, and to the Regulatory Standards Division at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. This notice is also distributed electronically to the division level in the Flight Standards Service in Washington headquarters and to all regional Flight Standards divisions and district offices. This information is also available on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Web site at: http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/notices/8400/N8400-64.doc.

3. BACKGROUND. In the fall of 2003, Congress incorporated a flight attendant certification requirement under the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (the Act). Although flight attendants perform safety- and security-related functions, they previously had never been certificated like pilots, mechanics, aircraft dispatchers, parachute riggers, and others. Congress acknowledged that flight attendants perform vital crewmember functions onboard air carrier aircraft, including emergency functions for aircraft evacuations, firefighting, first aid, and response to security threats. Flight attendants are considered safety-sensitive employees subject to FAA drug and alcohol testing requirements and flight time limitations. Among other provisions, the Act provides the following:

a. A flight attendant works in the cabin of an aircraft that has 20 or more seats and is used by an air carrier to provide air transportation.

b. No person may serve as a flight attendant aboard an aircraft of an air carrier unless that person holds a certificate of demonstrated proficiency issued by the FAA.

NOTE: The Act distinguishes between this certificate and an airman’s certificate. This certificate is not an airman’s certificate as specified in Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C.), section 44703; it is a separate kind of certificate as specified in 49 U.S.C., section 44728.

c. If requested, flight attendants shall present their certificate to the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, or another Federal agency within a reasonable period of time after the date of request (FAA policy: 15 days).

d. A flight attendant may continue to serve aboard an aircraft as a flight attendant and shall be treated as certificated until that individual completes the required recurrent or requalification training and subsequent certification.

e. The FAA shall issue a certificate of demonstrated proficiency to an applicant after the notification by an air carrier that a person has successfully completed all training requirements as approved by the FAA.

f. The DO of an air carrier is designated to determine that a person has successfully completed the training requirements approved by the FAA for that person to serve as a flight attendant.

g. Each certificate of demonstrated proficiency shall:

(1) Be numbered and recorded by the FAA;

(2) Contain the name, address, and description of the individual to whom the certificate is issued;

(3) Be similar in size and appearance to certificates issued to airmen;

(4) Contain the airplane group for which the certificate is issued (Group 1 = Propeller-driven; Group 2 = Turbojet-powered. See Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 121, section 121.400); and

(5) Be issued no later than 120 days after the FAA receives notification from the air carrier of completion of all FAA-approved training requirements. In the case of an individual serving as a flight attendant since December 11, 2003 (the effective date of the Act), the certificate of demonstrated proficiency will be issued no later than 1 year after the effective date.

h. Air carrier flight attendant training programs shall be subject to approval by the FAA. All flight attendant training programs approved by the FAA in the 1-year period ending on the date of the enactment (December 11, 2003) of this section shall be treated as providing a demonstrated proficiency for purposes of meeting the certification requirements.

4. AVAILABILITY OF THE ACT. The entire Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act may be downloaded at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov.

a. Click on Public and Private Laws.

b. In the query box enter "public law 108-176" (with quotes).

c. Click on Submit.

d. Click on the .PDF version of public law 108-176.

e. Flight Attendant Certification is in Title VIII-Miscellaneous, section 814, Flight Attendant Certification (page 102).

5. PROCEDURES FOR THE DO AND FOR THE FAA. The following procedures apply:

a. DO Requests Access to the FAA’s Flight Attendant Certification System. The DO shall submit, in writing and on company letterhead, a request for access to the FAA’s Flight Attendant Certification System. The request SHALL INCLUDE THE DO’s E-MAIL ADDRESS and be mailed to:

Federal Aviation Administration
Airmen Certification Branch, AFS-760
P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0082

b. FAA Provides User ID and Password to the DO. When the FAA receives a valid request from a DO for access to the Flight Attendant Certification System, the FAA will send a confirmation message to the DO by e-mail containing a user ID and password for access.

c. The DO Enters a Record for Each Flight Attendant in the Flight Attendant Certification System. Upon determining that a flight attendant has successfully completed the required training, the DO shall enter the following required data for each candidate for a certificate of demonstrated proficiency:

(1) Name.

(2) Date of birth.

(3) Place of birth.

(4) Address.

(5) Physical description (height, weight, hair and eye color, and gender).

(6) Citizenship.

(7) Qualification on Group I, Group II, or both.

NOTE: Upon entering a completed record into the system, the DO automatically establishes formal notification to the FAA that a certificate candidate has completed required training. No further action by the DO is required.

d. FAA Awards a Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency. Concurrent with the notification in paragraph 5c, the FAA awards a certificate of demonstrated proficiency. Each certificate is effective immediately.

e. FAA Mails a Certificate to the Flight Attendant. Within approximately 10 to 14 days of awarding a certificate, the FAA will send a wallet-sized hardcopy of that certificate by U.S. Postal Service to the respective flight attendant.

NOTE: The FAA will advise each DO when the Flight Attendant Certification System is operational. This is a new certification system that is still under construction at the time of issuance of this notice. AFS-760 will notify each DO by e-mail when the system is ready to accept flight attendant data, expected by summer 2004. Each DO is strongly encouraged to prepare for the data-entry task immediately. Flight attendants who do not have a certificate by the compliance deadline, December 11, 2004, may not perform as flight attendants.

6. ACTION. POIs or ASIs-cabin safety, if applicable, shall make the information in this notice known to the DO of each operator affected by the Act requiring flight attendants to hold a certificate. The DO may be provided a copy of this notice or referred to the URL in paragraph 2 where this notice may be downloaded.

7. DISPOSITION. This notice will be incorporated into Order 8400.10, Air Transportation Operations Inspector’s Handbook. Questions concerning this notice should be directed to the Air Carrier Training Branch, AFS-210, at (202) 267-7480, or to the Civil Aviation Registry, AFS-700, at (405) 954-3822.

/s/ John M. Allen for
James J. Ballough
Director, Flight Standards Service