kbf1
6th Jan 2002, 00:00
I made 3 flights with UAL last week, one trans-Atlantic the others medium haul domestic and each a/c was understaffed by at least 2 crew members. On speaking to 1 FA she said that UA had laid off so many crews that they could no longer afford to fully crew flights and most if not all were crewed with the FAA minimum.
While i don't mind waiting an extra 5 mins for a lunch service i do question the safety implications of how a full aircraft would be evacuated in an emergency without at least 2 crew members at each exit. I intend to write to UAL and tell them that as a passenger I was unhappy about their staffing policy and that I will be voting with my feet an not flying with them again as a result.
It would be helpful to know if the FAA has a view on whether operating with the min crew compliment is considered "safe" or simply "not dangerous". Any points of view from crews would also be appreciated.
While i don't mind waiting an extra 5 mins for a lunch service i do question the safety implications of how a full aircraft would be evacuated in an emergency without at least 2 crew members at each exit. I intend to write to UAL and tell them that as a passenger I was unhappy about their staffing policy and that I will be voting with my feet an not flying with them again as a result.
It would be helpful to know if the FAA has a view on whether operating with the min crew compliment is considered "safe" or simply "not dangerous". Any points of view from crews would also be appreciated.