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Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study – Fourth Wave

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

This message is from researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in regard to the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study. If you have any questions about the study, please contact the researchers directly at fahealth@hsph.harvard.edu.

The Flight Attendant Health Study, launched in 2007, aims to advance knowledge that can improve working conditions for flight crew in the U.S. and internationally.

Flight Attendants are some of the most understudied workers, yet flight crew are exposed to many physical and psychosocial stressors, such as cosmic ionizing radiation, higher ozone levels, stressful interactions with passengers, hypoxia/reduced oxygenation, potentially severe circadian rhythm disruption, and other exposures.

We Need Your Help!

On June 26, the fourth wave of the study launches and we need as many Flight Attendants as possible to participate in order to accurately represent the characteristics and experiences of flight crews.

Our goal is to understand the prevalence of health conditions in current and retired U.S. and international flight crew and the relationship with working conditions – especially in light of the pandemic and its aftermath – in order to solve some of the stressors in Flight Attendant work that lead to early-onset illness and disease.

Please take the survey via this QR code or at bit.ly/fahs and share widely with your colleagues.

Thank you for helping to advance Flight Attendant health by contributing to this important research.

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study – Third Wave

Researches from Harvard University are continuing their Flight Attendant health study and are seeking additional participants for the next wave of the study.  All current and former Flight Attendants are welcome to participate in the confidential survey regardless of whether or not you have participated previously.  You can access the survey by clicking here.  Additional information about the study can be found below.

In Solidarity,

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

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study Survey

Researchers from Harvard University are continuing their study of Flight Attendant health and need your help in collecting information. You’ll find a letter below regarding the study and what you can do to help. Your participation matters; please take a moment to take the survey now if you haven’t already.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

 

Harvard

 

Dear Flight Attendant,

We keep climbing, but we are only 50% towards our goal for participation, so we extended our deadline to March 8th.  Get your survey completed by 3/8/15 11:59 PM PST and you will automatically be entered into a raffle for an Apple Watch.  We need YOU!   We’ve doubled our numbers in the last few days, so we know you can do it.

Our results will only be as strong as our participation.  The more flight attendants who tell us about their health, the better our knowledge will be.  Have you retired or changed jobs?  Have you participated in other flight attendant studies?  Have you started the survey, but haven’t had time to complete it?  Do you only have time to take it on your phone or tablet?  Great, you’re still eligible to participate—the only requirement for participation is that you worked as a flight attendant in the past.

Take 15 to 20 minutes of your time to inform our understanding of flight attendant health for YEARS to come.  Join us at Harvard University School of Public Health by

Following this link to the Survey: www.fahealth.org/harvard-study

Also, please let your friends know that ALL flight attendants are welcome to participate.  We’ve heard some flight attendants have not received an email from us or maybe our email was caught in spam, so please spread the word that ANY former or current flight attendant can take the survey at www.fahealth.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eileen McNeely, Principal Investigator, Flight Attendant Health Study
Dr. Sara Gale, Project Manager, Flight Attendant Health Study

Harvard School of Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Research
Landmark Center, Room 3-098
401 Park Drive, P.O. Box 15697
Boston, MA 02115
617-384-8861
www.fahealth.org

2026 AFA Board of Directors Convention: What You Need To Know

Next week, our Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers, Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, and several other LEC Officers, Committee Chairpersons, and Committee Members will attend the 53rd Annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Convention in Portland, Oregon. They will join representatives from other AFA airlines to address our Union’s business at the international level. Watch […]

Hawaiian Flight Attendant Seattle Domicile Negotiations – March 2026 Update

Management currently requires Flight Attendants to provide proof of relocation to receive the flat-rate moving expense, a policy that the AFA is formally challenging through the grievance process. While this dispute is ongoing, Flight Attendants able to submit proof of relocation must submit two forms of documentation, such as a lease or updated driver’s license, within 60 days of transfer if they wish to be paid under management’s terms. The union continues to advocate for a fairer process and encourages members to keep records of all related interactions.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 12 – February 2026

During this negotiation session, we made progress on Sections 15 (Leaves of Absence) and 22 (Expenses). The JNC advocated for positive developments from the Hawaiian CBA to strengthen our proposals. We also introduced our initial proposal for Section 28 (Domiciles) and remain committed to meaningful improvements in all areas of discussion.

Reminder: Don’t Miss Next Week’s MEC Town Hall!

Mark your calendar—Tuesday, March 3, is almost here! There’s still time to register for our Alaska + Hawaiian Town Hall and hear directly from your MEC Officers: MEC President Tim Green, MEC Vice President Brice McGee, and MEC Secretary-Treasurer Paul Ikioka. Join us for the latest updates and get answers to your questions. The Details What […]

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, February 19, our AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Bob Moore (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes […]

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