- Icelandair, the island nation’s flag provider, declared Friday that it would be laying off all its flight attendants.
- Starting off Monday, Icelandair’s pilots will suppose flight attendants’ roles, the firm said.
- The legality and practicality of obtaining pilots act as flight attendants are unclear.
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Icelandair announced Friday that it would be laying off all its flight attendants, ending a labor dispute with the crew members’ union that began previous thirty day period.
In the unparalleled go, the airline stated it prepared to have its pilots quickly think flight attendants’ roles overseeing the security of all those onboard, setting up July 20.
“Icelandair will permanently terminate the work of its present cabin crew members and completely discontinue the work romantic relationship concerning the get-togethers,” Icelandair said in a statement.
But pilots will not likely be paying out a great deal time pushing carts down the aisle and handing out drinks and meals.
Solutions “will proceed to be at a bare minimum, as (they have been) given that the effect of COVID-19 started,” the airline claimed.
Flight attendants engage in a very important part in retaining in-flight basic safety, significantly in the circumstance of an crisis. It really is not very clear how a pilot could correctly suppose a flight attendant’s purpose, especially with just two days’ recognize.
It is also not apparent if these kinds of a set up is authorized in the areas in which Icelandair flies, including the US and the European Union.
In the US, flight attendants will have to finish a range of trainings to develop into a certified crew member.
Delta flight attendants, for instance, go via a two-month training exactly where they are drilled on subject areas which includes swimming, CPR, and how to evacuate an plane in just 90 seconds.
Representatives for the airline, the Cabin Crew Affiliation of Iceland, the Icelandic Transport Authority, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency did not quickly reply to Enterprise Insider requests for remark.
As the airline is not an American provider, the Federal Aviation Administration does not have regulatory authority about it, an FAA spokesperson stated.
Icelandair, like the rest of the airline field, has noticed passenger numbers collapse considering the fact that the coronavirus pandemic in essence shut down international travel previously this calendar year.
In May 2019, 419,000 travellers flew on Icelandair. In May perhaps 2020, just 3,100 hopped aboard.
Last month the airline introduced a monetary restructuring, aiming “to safe existing operations, improve the liquidity and assure the long run competitiveness of the Firm.”
