Flight Safety Foundation Cabin Crew Safety 2000

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November–December 2000

Many Flight Attendants Learn to Use Automated External Defibrillators 12 pages. [PDF 429K]

Heart problems — including sudden cardiac arrest — have been among the most common serious in-flight medical events worldwide. The growing availability of automated external defibrillators on transport aircraft and in airports may lead to a public perception that most flight attendants can operate these medical devices.

September–October 2000

Updated Regulations, Credentials Strategy Restrict Weapons in Aircraft Cabins 20 pages. [PDF 141K]

Amended U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations and smart-card technology to verify the credentials of law enforcement officers should increase airline crewmembers’ confidence in passengers’ authority to fly armed. International consensus influences restrictions on firearms — in the cabin and in checked baggage — but the experience of the United States shows the difficulty of balancing aviation safety and law enforcement interests.

July–August 2000

Cabin Crews Must Capture Passengers’ Attention in Predeparture Safety Briefings 12 pages. [PDF 98K]

Many civil aviation authorities assume that airlines know best how to attract passengers’ attention, but some cabin safety specialists believe that creative methods improve attention to safety briefings before takeoff.

May–June 2000

Flight Attendant Training Helps Prevent Injuries in Aircraft Ramp-area Collisions 8 pages. [PDF 53K]

Collisions between U.S. transport aircraft and ground vehicles, airport buildings or other aircraft typically did not cause injuries to the aircraft occupants during a number of occurrences reported in the 1990s. While such events occur unexpectedly, the safety engineering of aircraft, flight attendants’ adherence to procedures and effective crew resource management are among the factors that reduce the risk of injury.

March–April 2000

Evaluation of In-flight Medical Care Aboard Selected U.S. Air Carriers: 1996 to 1997 20 pages. [PDF 133K]

In-flight medical care, patient response in flight and postflight follow-up care for 1,132 in-flight medical incidents in the United States were studied to evaluate in-flight medical care delivery on U.S.airlines and to reevaluate the in-flight medical kit required on air transport aircraft. Cardiac events were the most common serious in-flight medical occurrences and accounted for the greatest percentage of aircraft diversions for medical reasons.

January–February 2000

Working in, Around Aircraft Cabins Requires Awareness of Fall Prevention 12 pages. [PDF 76K]

The availability of limited data on slips, trips and falls during normal aircraft operations complicates efforts to improve the prevention of injury to crewmembers and passengers in the cabin environment. Nevertheless, airlines periodically should review fall-prevention strategies and related training of flight attendants and other workers.