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Safety Concerns with the Reconfigured Airbus “Aura” Cabins

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The AFA Air, Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) has brought forward a member’s safety concerns regarding the interior aft assist handles at the L1 and R1 exit doors on the reconfigured Alaska (“Aura”) Airbus 319, 320 and 321. AFA is also reviewing the placement of seats with relation to the L2 and R2 mid-cabin exits and the potential for those seats to interfere with the expeditious activation of the exits and to impede egress in an emergency evacuation. To keep this communication shorter, we will focus on the L1 and R1 aft assist handles but be assured that AFA is working both issues.

What are the concerns?

The reconfigured Aura bulkheads that are immediately aft of L1 and R1 (separating 1AC from the forward jumpseats on aircraft left and 1DF and the forward galley on aircraft right) have been relocated farther forward than the bulkheads on Legacy Virgin America (“Red”) aircraft.

Why is this a concern?

The bulkheads are now very close to the aft assist handles, effectively rendering the handles unusable.

This is significant because many if not most Flight Attendants cannot maintain a grip on the forward assist handle while simultaneously pulling the inflation handle at the exit. In such circumstances, Flight Attendants have been trained to ‘monkey’ over to the aft assist handle in order to maintain a protected position while pulling the inflation handle. The Flight Attendant is then supposed to ‘monkey’ back over to the forward assist handle prior to commanding abled bodied persons (ABPs) to initiate the evacuation. If a Flight Attendant cannot use the aft assist handle, it is more likely the FA will be pushed out of the aircraft while pulling the inflation handle. This situation unnecessarily increases the likelihood and potential severity of Flight Attendant injury during an emergency evacuation.

What is being done?

Management’s response

Once management was alerted to the issues by AFA, it has been very responsive. On Wednesday, March 6, management and AFA conducted a joint site visit to an Aura A320 during the aircraft’s turn time in Seattle in order to better understand AFA’s concerns. Management posted the following alert on the Inflight webpage later that evening:

AFA has brought forward concerns to Inflight management that the new Aura retrofit interior on A320 and A321 aircraft have a narrow space between the bulkhead wall and the aft assist handle at the L1/R1 exits.

Although the Aura retrofit interior is FAA approved, we are currently working with Maintenance & Engineering and the vendor who installed the interior to determine improved functionality. In the next several days, management will be holding cross-divisional meetings to explore alternate options.

We want you to be safe. Our advice is if you cannot use the aft assist handle, secure yourself by any means necessary to ensure you are protected. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Management conducted a follow-up safety risk management (SRM) assessment on the issues earlier today (March 8, 2019). In the SRM meeting, management pledged to actively explore long-term solutions to the concerns. More meetings are scheduled next week.

AFA’s response

Besides AFA bringing the issue to management’s attention over the past week, the Master Executive Council (MEC) filed two contractual grievances yesterday:

  • Grievance 36-99-2-40-19 Violation of Section 25.B Failure to Provide a Safe and Healthy Workplace alleges that management failed to provide a safe and healthy workplace when it installed new bulkheads on the retrofitted Airbus (“Aura”) aircraft that effectively renders the aft assist handles near doors L1/R1 as unusable and unnecessarily increases the likelihood and potential severity of Flight Attendant injury during an emergency evacuation.
  • Grievance 36-99-2-41-19 Violation of Section 25.D.2 Failing to Notify MEC President and ASHSC of Reconfiguration or Re-design Prior to Final Decision alleges that management failed to notify the MEC President of a decision to reconfigure or re-design the interior of the Airbus aircraft and to discuss with the ASHSC the parties’ interests and concerns for inflight safety prior to making a final decision on the reconfiguration/re-design.

AFA ASHSC representatives participated in the SRM meeting earlier today, and AFA will continue to actively interface with management on these issues until long-term solutions to our concerns have been implemented.

In the meantime, AFA recommends that Flight Attendants submit a confidential Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) report in order to document their safety concerns. These confidential reports are tracked and actioned upon by the FAA, the Company and AFA.

Be assured your safety is of paramount importance to us and stay tuned for further developments!

In Solidarity

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams; MEC Air Safety Health and Security (ASHSC) Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple and ASHSC Vice Chairperson-Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Brad Young

ASAP Event Review Committee Alternate Representative Position

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Background

The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Event Review Committee (ERC) Alternate Representative is responsible for serving as the AFA representative on the ASAP ERC.  As the alternate representative, this position participates in ERC meetings in the absence of the ASAP ERC Primary Representative.

Qualifications

  • Robust working knowledge of the Flight Attendant Manual, applicable Flight Attendant CFRs, and ASAP letters of agreement (LOAs) and memorandums of understanding (MOUs).
  • Ability to attend ERC meetings in Seattle as necessary.
  • Strong computer skills. Working knowledge of Google email and Microsoft Office preferred.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, track issues, and prepare reports.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks.
  • Previous Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) experience strongly preferred.

Duties

  • Serve as the AFA representative on the ASAP ERC in the absence of the ASAP ERC Primary Representative. 
  • Attend ERC meetings as scheduled.  Perform pre-meeting work in ETQ/Report It!.   Review events and add comments/suggestions to be discussed at ERC meeting.  
  • Assist Flight Attendants as needed with questions related to ASAP procedures, reporting requirements, and other program information. 
  • Make recommendations for safety improvements to the ASHSC. 
  • Assist the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program to develop, maintain, and update membership education materials about ASAP. 
  • Regularly communicate with and receive briefings from the designated AFA ERC Primary Representative on the activities of the ERC. 
  • Regularly communicate with and provide updates to the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program on all activities, meetings, and work being performed. 
  • Attend ASAP and other ASHSC-related meetings and training, as requested. 
  • Assist the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program as needed.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

  • This position will receive company business (CB) Flight Pay Loss (FPL) for meetings attended per section 27.P of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement. This includes “A” pay, 5% override, and travel pay to/from domicile to meeting location.  
  • Time commitment is variable as this position will only be active when the ASAP ERC Primary Representative is not available.
  • The ASAP ERC Alternate Representative will have pre-arranged, pre-planned absences (at 6.0 TFP credit per day) loaded into her/his schedule as needed to attend scheduled meetings.

Working Relationships

With The Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

Frequent interaction with the MEC ASHSC Chairperson and Local ASHSC Chairpersons. Occasional interaction with Local ASHSC Members.

With The Master Executive Council

This position reports to the Master Executive Council through the MEC ASHSC Chairperson. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC Vice President.

With Alaska Airlines Management

Constant interaction with management, particularly the Manager of Inflight Safety Reporting & Records (Claudia Modl), ASAP Manager (Chris Benson), and ASAP Specialist (Brandon Rudolph). Occasional interaction with the Director of Inflight Safety & Compliance (Anne Shaw) and Manager of Inflight Safety & Compliance (Monica Grant).

With Government Agencies

Constant interaction with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives in conjunction with ERC meetings.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

  • Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, March 29, 2019. 
  • Linda will contact qualified candidates to schedule an interview and provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.
  • In-person interviews will take place at the AFA Office in Seattle on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

Questions?

Please direct any questions about the position to MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—ASAP Brad Young at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple and MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—ASAP Brad Young

Air Quality Information & Update

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Due to the recent spike in cabin air fume events, your AFA Air Safety, Health, and Security Committee (ASHSC) has been working diligently to assist with all fume events by continuing with our normal procedure of contacting the affected crews, offering support, educating, and providing tools and resources for responding to these events.

Resources Available

With regard to education, the Committee is currently working with the Air Safety, Health, and Security (ASHS) department at AFA International to create additional online training and educational materials related to fume events.  Some of the resources available are listed below.

Air Quality Fume Event FAQs

The Committee has compiled a comprehensive question and answer document to help provide information about many of the questions and concerns that have been received about cabin air fume events.

You can access the Q&A document by clicking here.

Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card

The Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card is a wallet sized card that explains what to do in a contaminated cabin air exposure event.  The card can be kept in a badge holder behind your company ID or in your wallet.

The card was recently updated by the Committee and now includes information about the Airbus fleet.  If you currently have an older version of the card, please destroy your old card and replace it with a newly updated one.  The updated cards are currently being distributed to each domicile.

Look for more information from your Local Council about where to pick one up at your base.  You can access and print the card on the AFA Alaska website by clicking here.

AFA Alaska Website

Additional air quality information, including a flow chart that describes what to do in a cabin air fume event, can be found at afaalaska.org under Committees > Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC) > Air Quality.

Questions?

If you have additional questions about cabin air quality or the AFA resources available, please email airquality@afaalaska.org or contact a member of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).  You can find contact information on the ASHSC page of the AFA Alaska website.

What To Do In The Event of Contaminated Cabin Air

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The AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) has long had a critical role in assisting Flight Attendants who find themselves in a situation where they may have been exposed to contaminated cabin air.  This article is designed to provide some important information and resources to help you should you ever find yourself in a situation where you believe you might have experienced an exposure event.  We’d also like to provide some background on how AFA provides assistance and support in suspected air quality exposure incidents.

What Do I Do?

If you believe you might have been exposed to contaminated air aboard the aircraft, follow these steps:

1. Identify The Situation

If you encounter unusual fumes, odors, smoke, or haze:

  • Quickly rule out non-ventilation sources (i.e. ovens, coffee makers, garbage)
  • If the source is the air from the vents in the cabin, there is possibly oil/hydraulic fluid contamination.
  • Report the situation to the pilots immediately.
  • If no passengers are on board, step off the aircraft, especially if maintenance boards to test systems
  • Avoid breathing fumes coming from vents, if possible

2. Get Help If Sick

  • If in the air, notify the pilots to call Medlink
  • If still at the gate, ask the CSA to call paramedics.  Deplane if possible.
  • Seek medical attention as soon as possible.  Some tests must be performed as soon as possible to detect exposure.  Your symptoms can persist, worsen, or return after another incident.
  • Call AFA for help (call 206-457-2010, extension 1101 or email airquality@afaalaska.org)
  • Print and begin completing the AFA exposure checklist
  • Review the AFA International Air Quality website

3. Report & Document

  • File an employee injury report with the company
  • File an irregularity report with the company
  • File an ASAP report with the company
  • Keep printed copies of each report
  • Send a copy of the completed employee injury report to the ASHSC Vice Chairperson.
  • Ask a supervisor to complete their Alaska Airlines air quality checklist with you
  • If sick, file a worker’s compensation claim and see a doctor as quickly as possible.  Claims do not start until you see a doctor.
  • Keep a symptom diary and document everything with a doctor

What Resources Are Available?

AFA Alaska Website

Information on what to do in the event of exposure to contaminated cabin air is available on the AFA Alaska website.  You can find the complete checklist at http://afaalaska.org/ashsc/airquality/checklist.  On your IMD or other mobile device, you can easily access this information by opening the AFA Alaska app or visiting afaalaska.org and clicking the “air quality exposure info” link from the home page.

Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card

Wallet size cards explaining what to do in a contaminated cabin air exposure event have just been updated to include Airbus fleet information and will soon be available in each base.  These cards can be kept in a badge holder behind your crew ID or in your purse or wallet for when you need to access them quickly.  You can also print your own card from the AFA Alaska website by clicking here.

Local Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC) Committee

The members of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee are available as a resource to assist you.  You can find contact information for your Local ASHSC on the ASHSC page of afaalaska.org.

What Happens Behind the Scenes?

Once management notifies AFA that a situation involving potential exposure to contaminated cabin air has occurred, a coordinated response process begins behind the scenes. MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Vice Chairperson Yvette Satterlee activates AFA’s response procedures and makes contact with the crew. Yvette ensures that the Flight Attendants have information about what to do if they’re feeling sick and what reports to file with the company.  The AFA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee also contacts the Flight Attendants to offer their support.  The LEC Officers from the Local Council of the affected Flight Attendants are also notified of the situation and are available to provide assistance if needed.

After the incident, ASHSC, EAP, and the LEC Officers continue to assist the Flight Attendants. This ongoing support takes the form of providing information about oil and hydraulic fumes for the medical providers of the affected crew members, coordinating operational debriefs with management, requesting aircraft maintenance records, and additional activities to help affected Flight Attendants through the treatment and recovery process.

Questions?

Please contact your Local ASHSC if you have any questions about contaminated cabin air.  You can find contact information for your Local ASHSC on the ASHSC page of afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple and MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson Yvette Satterlee

Harvard Publication Regarding Past Uniform Reactions at Alaska

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The following article was recently published by AFA International regarding a Harvard School of Public Health study pertaining to uniform reactions among Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants from 2011 through 2014.  The full text of the article is contained below or can be viewed on the AFA website by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee, MEC Uniform Committee Chairperson Bob Moore and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

 

 Harvard publishes study about uniform reactions at Alaska 2011-14

AFA continues to fight for safe uniforms at PSA, Envoy, and Piedmont

Published on Jan. 3, 2018, a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health documents “a relationship between health complaints and the introduction of new uniforms” among Flight Attendants at Alaska Airlines from 2011-14. The Harvard study is published and you can download a free copy here.

AFA professional staff, in collaboration with the Alaska MEC, took a thorough and structured approach to define the chemicals in the new uniforms and the reactions reported by our members. Our systematic collection of the science and the reports from Flight Attendants gained the interest of Harvard scientists and researchers to conduct an independent review, which was significant. This study provides a credible, scientific voice that illustrates the urgent need for airlines and uniform vendors to address this issue in a meaningful way. AFA will also continue to seek relief for Flight Attendants, as well as work with airlines to put procedures in place that will allow for safe delivery of new uniforms.

While AFA’s work paved the way for this study, Harvard worked independently to systematically assess Flight Attendant symptom reports before and after the uniform rollout at Alaska Airlines. Specifically, they collected and compared responses to the same set of standardized questions before, during, and after wearing and working around the TwinHill uniforms. These peer-reviewed findings validate the reports that so many Alaska Flight Attendants documented during that uniform rollout. During that time, 753 of approximately 2900 (26%) of Alaska Flight Attendants reported uniform reactions – dominated by irritant and allergic-type symptoms – to AFA.

Harvard’s research found that the prevalence of the following symptoms increased after the introduction of new uniforms: itchy/irritated skin (25 vs 13), rash/hives (23 vs 13), itchy eyes (24 vs 14), blurred vision (14 vs 6), sinus congestion (28 vs 24), , sore throat (9 vs 5), cough (17 vs 7), hoarseness/loss of voice (12 vs 3), shortness of breath (8 vs 3), and multiple chemical sensitivity (10 vs 5). During that uniform rollout, AFA also received a large number of reports of hair loss (117), unusual fatigue (83), and other non-irritant symptoms. However, because Harvard had not included questions about those symptoms in its “pre-rollout” survey, it was not possible to compare the prevalence of those symptoms over time.

Now history seems to be repeating itself. Since their uniform rollout at PSA, Envoy, and Piedmont in September 2016, more than 500 of our members, together with thousands of our sisters and brothers at American, have documented similar reactions to their TwinHill garments. The Harvard authors acknowledge the similarities between these outbreaks and note that, together, they “warrant further investigation of the specific chemical toxicants, clothing concentrations, body burdens and health effects.”

Additionally, on Jan 11, 2018, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (“NIOSH”) released a Health Hazard Evaluation of Flight Attendants’ symptoms during/after wearing the TwinHill uniforms at American, which are the same uniforms being worn by AFA members at PSA, Envoy, and Piedmont. AFA provided information to NIOSH on the reported symptoms, chemical testing, and other data to ensure that our members’ voices were heard. The bottom line is that NIOSH recognized that “”irritant and allergenic compounds were identified in some uniform garments, which could cause [reported] skin symptoms.” NIOSH also cited evidence that exposure to low levels of chemicals and chemical mixtures in textiles can cause symptoms. Finally, NIOSH recommended that AA “remove employees with physician-diagnosed health problems related to the uniform from exposure, and retain pay and benefits for these employees,” including potential “reassign[ment] (with retention of pay and employment status) with work conditions in which exposure is minimal or nonexistent.”

AFA encourages our membership to read the Harvard study. It should especially be:

  • In the hands of every Flight Attendant who seeks medical attention for a uniform reaction.
  • In the hands of every airline official who is responsible for procuring new uniforms, in order to prevent history from repeating itself.

We are still fighting for the right to safe clothes that don’t cause illness for the Flight Attendants at PSA, Piedmont, Envoy, and our sisters and brothers at American. We will continue to push for the type of positive and conscientious change that we see at some airlines like Alaska and United who have committed to strong uniform programs – and are working with AFA as an important part of that commitment.

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