Regulations re: pregnancy and flying

[Indigo]

I'm interested to find out any information regarding airline policies in relation to cabin crew flying during pregnancy.

[IFS to Flight Deck]

Generally crew are immediately grounded when the company find out you are pregnant.
This is due to Health & Safety..i.e duty of care by the company towards the employee.

[traveler]

Not everywhere. Just today I flew with a young lady 3 months pregnant. I believe our airline allows you to fly up to and incl. 5 months, but it is an option. They will provide work on the ground during this time if you so desire. Unpaid leave is also an option. I could be off a little on this since I'm male and not personally affected.

[p. Arempi]

In Belgium, it is strictly forbidden for pregnant women to fly. This is most surely done because of the health insurance... a miscarriage as a result of flying would cost simply too much

[lara_croft]

In Australia, pregnant cabin crew are permitted to continue flying up until 28 weeks. However for longhaul flying I believe the confinement is from 16 weeks.

If you do not wish to continue flying you can start maternity leave as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed, however there is no pay whatsoever during maternity leave. You can apply for ground duties but it is not guaranteed, and I believe difficult to get.

I would be very interested in any information regarding new studies/information on the hazards of flying during pregnancy. Also whether cabin crew in other countries are entitled to any salary whilst on maternity leave.

Thanks Lara....

[traveler]

Finland just concluded a study, (other European countries participated, not mine) of statistics for female airline crew and breast cancer. Your government's aviation medical institutions should have the results. Seems to have some effect but these studies are always vague for some reason. Don't know if it is just hard to measure or if the results are astounding. It's your body, you decide.

[AAL Miss]

American Airlines policy allows F/As to use their sick time and vacation time during maternity leave. They also have the choice to be assigned ‘light duty’ office work if they would like to save their sick and vacation days.

Even though it’s every F/A’s choice about how long they continue to fly while pregnant, I worry when I see an obviously very pregnant F/A onboard. The stress on our bodies in-flight in normal situations is very high...let alone pregnant. Pushing and pulling carts during ascent and descent, bending, stooping, lifting, etc. I worked with a pregnant F/A that didn’t do her fair share, expecting the other F/As to excuse her because of her ‘condition’. The rest of us were considerate and helpful to her, but it was still a little annoying.

Another thing that concerns me is what would/could happen to their baby if there were an accident/emergency evacuation...how much damage could the seat belt and harness do to the baby? It would be a very hard blow to the stomach area. Would she be able to help passengers evacuate, or would she need help in getting herself off?

I, personally, wouldn’t want to take the chance of harming my baby or anyone else during an emergency. But as traveler said: “It's your body, you decide.” http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[Xenia]

Congratulations Indigo! http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif
Just met you today in BHX http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif :)
Here's my e-mail: [email protected]
Keep in touch... and best wishes :)
Xenia

------------------
*************************Happy Landings! :)
*************************

[Pdub]

traveler, the reason a lot of medical studies are vague is trying to sort out cause and effect, for example if a study showed that educated Northern people were more likely to get lung cancer, this could be done to heredity, their jobs, lifestyle, or indeed a magic cancer causing organism only found north of the Watford Gap. Logic tells us that it is lifestyle, but it takes a lot of studies with a lot of people to confirm that statisically. Tricky one really and why the first thing you should look at in a "new report" is the number of people in the study. Anything less than several hundered is, in my view, merely speculation, and when dealing with something with a low incidence, you need to be into the thousands before I'd trust them.

There is a figure in most medical reports that's called the confidence number (IIRC) from what I remember 1 is definate and 0 means they were wrong

[stan smith]

In regards to Pregnancy. Health factors are some what obvious to any endocrinologist (someone who understands your internal chemical body's portfolio) Fact 100% of the time any women who is pregnant will go through great hormonal changes. With this in mind therefore all pregnant women F/A's and Pilot's are subject to changes that can be the whole range from simple fatigue to illness and ANY ONE FLYING ON LONG HALL AND CLOSE TO THE POLES IS RISKING THE HEALTH AND POSSIBLE MISSCARAGE.

NOW FOR FACT UNITED AIRLINES POLICY IS 31 weeks and thats for F/A and Pilot's. Just picture an inflight emergency with a level of pregnant Pilot or F/A that would refuse a paying passenger in the same condition.

Why because F/A's are not protected from being thrown on the streets. If the only reason a mother to be. Is desparate to work not knowing or at least having the personal doubts and hightened stress is BECAUSE THEY ARE SENT TO THE WELFARE ROLES. United Airlines Policy is when pregnant at the 27th now changed to 31st week employee is by the company to stop working and they may collect unemployment in there state. In the USA this amounts any where from 150.00 to 350.00 a week. Not like some other country's Say in Europe where women have Maternity protections under the law. Fact again according to official record with OECD and ILO the United States has no Maternity protections at all. Airlines years back would fire women for marriage. NOW THE COMPANY JUST FIRES THEM TEMPORARILY FOR CHOOSING TO BE MOTHERS. If your not paid and your wealthy your family or family to be suffers.
NEWS FLASH UNITED AIRLINES USES THE SAME POLICY INTERNATIONALY. YES THEY SEND THERE EMPLOYEE's INTERNATIONALY BASED TO FRAUDULENTLY APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF US FED LAW AND STATE LAW OF ILLINOIS BECAUSE UAL CLAIMS ALL OF THERE F/A's WORK ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES. EVEN IF THOSE INTERNATIONALY BASED EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO LIVE IN THOSE OTHER COUNTRY'S. SO THOSE POOR AMERICAN'S BASED IN LETS SAY ANY WHERE UAL HAS A BASE EG: FRANCE,ENGLAND,GERMANY HIT THE STREET WITH ZERO BECAUSE ITS AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT LAW AND UAL REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE ANY OF THE COUNTRY'S LAWS ACCEPT THE USA'S.

This is not a crazy rant it is all true and UAL has been in the courts in England, France,and Germany alway's stating direct lies to the court that UAL has no real bases in those countries. SO IF YOU ARE US AIR OR UNITED F/A AND thinking of being a mother or have a growing family. THINK AGAIN ABOUT YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS BECAUSE UAL WILL VIOLATE THEM FOR A BUCK. THEY ALSO RETALIATE AGAINST EMPLOYEES OR DIRECTLY BLOCK THERE FINANCIAL WELFARE RIGHTS IN THOSE COUNTRIES NOING FULL WELL. THAT EMPLOYEE and or family's will be hurt. CALL THE AFA OR CHICAGO TRIBUNE TO VERIFY.

Maternity Health is one of the most deliberatly abused catagories in American Aviation. PASS THIS ON TO ALL US AIR AND UAL AND OTHERS. SIGNED Stan Smith.

------------------

[Bird Strike]

I probably said this before in the flight crew 'Medical and Health' bit, but from what I have read so far, the effects of flying on pregnant mother and the embryo/fetus seem to me to be a little worrying. I would personally not like to fly if I become pregnant, as the risks of miscarriage and other things going wrong seem to be exacerbated by flying. I am aware that JAA regulations allow pregnant flight crew with normal pregnancy (after obstetric evaluation) to fly up to 26 weeks, so I presume the same applies to cabin crew.

However, it is nice to be given a choice of flying or not flying as long as the pregnancy is normal, so that a woman can make her own decision ...

Most of the airlines I have come across (bear in mind I do not work in the industry) or heard about seem to ground the pregnant aircrew on discovering the pregnancy and offer a ground position or unpaid leave.



[This message has been edited by Bird Strike (edited 14 December 2000).]