8.06.25 – Lawmakers Press FAA on Updated Standards after Evacuation of AA3023 – Take Action Today

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Lawmakers Press FAA on Updated Standards after Evacuation of AA3023 – Take Action Today

APFA Commends the Crew of Flight 3023

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, American Airlines Flight 3023 experienced a landing gear fire during takeoff from Denver International Airport, prompting an aborted takeoff and emergency evacuation on the runway. APFA commends the four Dallas/Fort Worth-based Flight Attendants for their outstanding performance. The crew acted swiftly and decisively to protect everyone onboard and ensure their safe exit from the aircraft.

U.S. House Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) Calls on FAA to Implement the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin (EVAC) Act

Four days after the evacuation of Flight 3023, Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) sent a letter to newly confirmed FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. In the letter, he emphasized the importance of implementing the provisions of the EVAC Act contained in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Law and called on the FAA to reject the findings of the 2019–2020 SEAT Act evacuation study, which was based on an unrepresentative sample of today’s flying public.

In the press release, Rep. Cohen writes:

“The urgency of these concerns was made evident by the recent emergency evacuation of American Airlines Flight 3023 at Denver International Airport, reportedly triggered by a landing gear fire. Video footage shows smoke pouring from the aircraft as passengers – some with carry-on bags, others carrying children – rushed down emergency slides. These are precisely the conditions absent from FAA’s 2019 testing, yet present in real-life emergencies. While not yet confirmed, the evacuation time from this incident was reportedly 10-15 minutes, which is well beyond the FAA’s 90-second requirement. If true, this is extremely concerning…”

Representative Cohen’s full press release may be found here.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Pushes the FAA to Implement Updated Emergency Evacuation Standards 

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is continuing to press the FAA to update emergency evacuation standards, as required by the FAA Reauthorization Law.

“While FAA has yet to disclose how long any of the referenced passenger evacuations took, these incidents once again raise serious questions about FAA’s 90 second evacuation standard as well as FAA’s assumptions about how evacuations occur in real world conditions (such as the assumption every passenger will comply with instructions to deplane without carry-on bags),”Duckworth wrote in her letter.

Senator Duckworth’s full press release may be found here.

APFA, alongside our Union Siblings across the industry, will continue to advocate for safer evacuation standards that accurately reflect today’s flying public.

787-9P Minimum Crew: Have you sent your letter to American Airlines management?

The recent incident in Denver made it clear: well-trained Flight Attendants are critical to saving lives during emergencies. Passengers rely on us for guidance, and our responsibilities go far beyond evacuation—we also help identify what went wrong and what must be improved to make air travel safer for everyone.

It’s outrageous that American Airlines management, while publicly claiming to prioritize “Safety First,” moved forward with Boeing 787-9P aircraft certification that staffs fewer Flight Attendants than needed to operate each widebody emergency exit door. This deliberate choice undermines our long-held safety standards and puts both passengers and crew at unnecessary risk.

We have no confidence that American Airlines management will stop minimum crew reductions with the 787-9P. United has already received approval for a minimum crew of seven (7) Flight Attendants on 787s and 777s, and Delta has received approval for just six (6) Flight Attendants on their A330-300, an aircraft with eight (8) exit doors and similar capacity to a 787.

At what point will the FAA draw the line and declare these dangerous cuts to minimum crew staffing unsafe? This is an industry-wide problem, and it is going to take all of us standing together to fight for passenger and crew safety.

What can I do?

First, take time to tell American Airlines management that each widebody emergency exit door must have a Flight Attendant prepared to operate it in an emergency evacuation. Share the graphic and QR code below with fellow crew, friends and supporters, and stay tuned for more developments and ways to get involved.

**Click here to take immediate action!**

APFA and our Sibling Unions will move these important issues forward. At the end of July, National President Julie Hedrick brought the issue to the attention of FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Click here to read the full letter to Administrator Bedford.

APFA’s Government Affairs Representatives, along with your National President, have already begun conversations on Capitol Hill to address this reduction in minimum staffing and the push for meaningful evacuation testing. We are committed to keeping these issues at the forefront—pressuring lawmakers, regulators, and informing the public to recognize the serious safety risks posed by outdated evacuation standards and the hazards posed by unattended emergency exits.

This fight is far from over, and we will continue to demand that safety, not cost-cutting, guides every decision.

In Solidarity,

Julie Hedrick
APFA National President
[email protected]

Allie Malis
Lori Vitto-Glattly
APFA Government Affairs Representatives
[email protected]