10.13.25 – APFA Leads the Push for Stronger Minimum Crew Standards on Capitol Hill

Monday, October 13, 2025

APFA Leads the Push for Stronger Minimum Crew Standards on Capitol Hill

APFA Representatives were on Capitol Hill last week meeting with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including those on the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, the Aviation Subcommittee, and the Aviation Safety Caucus. This outreach follows American Airlines’ decision to reduce the minimum crew on the Boeing 787-9P from eight to seven Flight Attendants—leaving one widebody exit door unattended.

Left Photo (L to R): APFA Rep Jade Cheng, APFA National President Julie Hedrick, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR-4) of the T&I Committee; APFA Government Affairs Rep Lori Vitto-Glattly.

Right Photo (L to R): Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA-2), Ranking Member of the T&I Committee; APFA National President Julie Hedrick, APFA Government Affairs Rep Allie Malis.

In three days, APFA Officers and Representatives conducted 79 bipartisan meetings with House offices to discuss the reduction of minimum crew on the 787-9P to seven Flight Attendants, leaving a widebody exit door without a trained Flight Attendant to evacuate. During these meetings, we explained the serious safety implications of leaving a widebody aircraft emergency exit door unattended and shared the letter sent to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedfordoutlining APFA’s concerns regarding the recent reduction in minimum crew.

 

Left Photo (L to R): APFA National President Julie Hedrick, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) of the Aviation Subcommittee; APFA Government Affairs Rep Allie Malis.

Right Photo (L to R): APFA Government Affairs Rep Allie Malis, Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4) of the Aviation Subcommittee; APFA National President Julie Hedrick.

 

Delta Air Lines opened the door to dangerous widebody minimum crew reductions in 2017, and United Airlines followed in 2020—slashing minimum crew to below one Flight Attendant per widebody exit door. This isn’t innovation; it’s a calculated move that puts profits ahead of safety. This unsafe practice has largely gone unchallenged.

We cannot sit and wait for an accident to occur before bringing this issue to lawmakers and regulators.

There is no reason to believe that minimum crew reductions will end with the 787-9P. Delta and United have already reduced minimum crew on multiple widebody aircraft types, and we have every expectation that American will soon follow their lead.

How many widebody exit doors will the FAA allow to remain unattended without a trained Flight Attendant and still deem the aircraft operation “safe”?  Where do the minimum crew reductions stop?

Last week, our message to Congress was clear: passenger safety requires a trained Flight Attendant at every widebody door exit—on every flight.

Every Democrat and Republican with whom we met understood the seriousness of these minimum crew reductions and recognized the urgent safety concerns surrounding these changes.

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We started this fight by bringing national attention to this critical safety gap. That was just step one. APFA will continue to engage Congress and the Administration to demand accountability and action. We will not stand by while a known safety risk threatens the flying public. This fight will escalate until real change is secured.

In Solidarity,

Julie Hedrick
APFA National President
[email protected]

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