6.26.25 – Call to Action! AA Certifies 787-9P with Seven Flight Attendants

Call to Action!
AA Certifies 787-9P with Seven
Flight Attendants

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Earlier this month, APFA exposed management’s plan to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to certify the new 787-9P with a minimum crew of just seven (7) Flight Attendants. Despite the outpouring of concern from Flight Attendants who took the time to voice objections to upper management, American Airlines chose to ignore your safety concerns and move forward with the reduced staffing plan.

Click here for an immediate call to action! Send a letter to AA management telling them to prioritize passenger and crew safety by keeping minimum staffing at one Flight Attendant for every widebody door!

The 787-9P reduced staffing certification, finalized this week, follows similar approvals at Delta and United, and results in a first-time ever single Flight Attendant at the 4L/4R doors now being responsible for evacuating two widebody exits in the event of an emergency. Prior to the COVID-era staffing cuts, having one Flight Attendant at every widebody door was not an issue.

While the FAA has approved this minimum staffing, there is no question that reducing staffing on widebody aircraft to less than one Flight Attendant per emergency exit affects passenger and crew safety.

American Airlines had a clear opportunity to lead the industry by prioritizing safety and setting a higher standard than our competitors—instead, they chose to follow competitors down a path of cost-cutting at the expense of crew and passenger safety.

We believe an airline that prioritizes safety would not make this decision. In an emergency, one Flight Attendant would be responsible for hundreds of passengers in two different aisles, with two emergency doors on opposite sides of the aircraft.

APFA will fight this decision and meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to bring this issue to the forefront and hold airlines accountable for prioritizing cost-cutting over safety. We should not wait for an accident or serious incident to demonstrate the necessity of having one Flight Attendant seated at each widebody emergency exit.
 Click here to take action today!

Safety must be proactive, not reactive.

In Solidarity,