Evacuations: In the event of an emergency, Flight Attendants are tasked with safely evacuating all passengers within 90 seconds. However, evacuation testing does not account for realistic passenger demographics (age, size, ability, pets, carry-on baggage, fuller cabins, minimum crew requirements, etc.) Studies have also shown that crew preparedness and clear evacuation commands significantly improve the success of an evacuation. APFA believes that, at a minimum, one Flight Attendant is needed at every emergency exit door on widebody aircraft. Do you believe that a full passenger load is needed to accurately test evacuation standards? Would you support updating aircraft certification standards to ensure that computer-simulated testing does not replace in-person testing using real-world conditions?

Cabin Air Quality: Flight Attendants and passengers are frequently exposed to harmful toxins in the cabin air supply due to the bleed air systems that exists in most aircraft types. In many states, Flight Attendants are denied workers’ compensation when severely sickened by a fume event. Would you support expanded studying, monitoring, and reporting of harmful toxins in cabin air? Would you support legislation that would require the airline industry to transition to safer air filtrations systems?

Turbulence: Changing weather patterns have resulted in significant turbulence-related injuries in the cabin. In 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) completed a study on turbulence (Preventing Turbulence-Related Injuries in Air Carrier Operations Conducted Under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121.) In the report, the NTSB made recommendations to the FAA to reduce the rate of injuries to Flight Attendants and passengers, including standardized weather reports, standardized communication, and descent procedures. Would you support FAA adopting the recommendations set forth by the NTSB?