August 05, 2022

T&I Committee Members Urge the Biden Administration to Finalize Long Overdue Flight Attendant Rest Rule

Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Majority sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda D. Young urging the administration to complete its final rule on flight attendant duty period limitations and rest requirements, called for in the 2018 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act.

“Almost four years after bipartisan passage of the [FAA reauthorization] law, the final rule is still not complete,” the members said. “This significant, prolonged delay is unacceptable and presents continued risk to aviation safety. We urge you to finalize this critical health and safety rule now.”

“Flight attendant fatigue is real,” the members continued. “The coronavirus pandemic and return to pre-pandemic service levels have only exacerbated the safety gap with long duty days, short nights, and often combative conditions on planes. The past several months of airline operational issues make clear that flight attendants need rest, and the DOT and FAA need to implement the 2018 Congressional mandate. We urge you to prioritize this rulemaking and work to complete the final rule as soon as possible.”

The full letter can be found here.  

Background:

In 2018, Congress passed the FAA reauthorization law, which gave the Secretary of Transportation 30 days to modify its final rule on flight attendant duty period limitations and rest requirements to ensure a flight attendant scheduled to a duty period of 14 hours or less is given a scheduled rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours. Congressionally mandated rest came after decades of advocacy from flight attendants and numerous studies that revealed the health risks of poor sleep for flight attendants.

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