Washington — Airlines should consider flight attendants’ input when making real-time decisions about cabin air temperatures that could affect health and safety, a recent report says.
Congress mandated the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to conduct an assessment in response to industry concerns.
Although NASEM found that cabin occupants reported heat problems more often than those related to cold, discomfort from either extreme may affect concentration, decision-making, mood and emotional responses, potentially posing safety risks.
“For flight attendants, such exposures may interfere with the performance of safety-critical duties,” the report states. “Because airline passengers and cabin crew have a limited ability to alter or escape the cabin environment, understanding and managing temperature-related risks is essential for maintaining safe air travel.”
Flight attendants face certain temperature-related risks through the nature of their work, NASEM found.
Because they remain active during boarding and throughout the flight, their bodies produce more metabolic heat than passengers. Flight attendants also are limited in their ability to adjust clothing to adapt to the cabin environment and may be exposed to varying conditions over consecutive flights.
To boost safety, NASEM recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration collaborate with airlines and aircraft manufacturers to create a research program to monitor, record, and assess temperature and humidity conditions in aircraft cabins.
Additionally, NASEM offers multiple recommendations to airlines, including:
- Provide flight attendants maximum feasible flexibility in uniform options and outfit selection to allow adjustments for varying thermal conditions and individual preferences.
- Require initial and recurrent training for flight attendants and pilots on the contributors to cabin temperature issues, signs and symptoms of temperature-related illness, and preventive and responsive mitigation measures.
