New Flight Attendant Union Program Enforces Safety, Confidentiality

[Omaha Steve]

http://news.cheapflights.com/airlines/2009/01/new-flight-attendant-union-program-enforces-safety-confidentiality.html

Airline safety doesn’t just happen. It has to be encouraged, cultivated. To that end, ASAP – the Aviation Safety Action Program.

American Airlines is helping create the "non-punitive" environment that allows flight attendants to report safety problems without fear of them being disciplined, hence the ASAP. This fear of reporting problems because it might lead to company action against them has hampered transparent safety reporting - thus the deal between the FAA, the union, and AA.

Aviation safety experts agree that setting the right circumstances for free flow of information is critical to making flying safer. If a reporting system discourages prompt reporting, bad things happen. This tripartite effort among FAA, American and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants understands the premise.

“As the industry’s front-line safety professionals, flight attendants play a key role in maintaining and improving all areas of cabin safety,” says Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. She says her members “look forward” to working with American and FAA.