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CHICAGO: United Airlines is telling some flight attendants whose colleagues test positive for COVID-19 to keep flying and monitor for symptoms, three employees said, raising concerns among staff about the policy.
“Most of us think that’s unsafe,” said one of the employees. United flight attendants expressed their discomfort and frustration over the airline’s lax quarantine and contract monitoring protocols.
By contrast, United’s main rival, American Airlines, withdraws its entire crew from service when they have worked with an infected person, a political decision affirmed by American flight attendants and the union that represents them.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued COVID-19 policy recommendations, but there are no government mandates on the issue. That has created inconsistent safety protocols across the industry, from how an aircraft is boarding and locking middle seats to onboard service and crew quarantines, the unions said.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), which represents the crews of 17 airlines, including United, said it has received complaints from members that United did not isolate the entire crew that has worked with an infected colleague.
“We have received concerns about the quarantine protocols of flight attendants from across the carrier industry we represent and where we are organizing ourselves from,” said AFA spokesperson Taylor Garland, adding that some complaints were from flight attendants. from Delta Air Lines.
When asked about its policy and flight attendant concerns, United did not dispute that it tells some to self-monitor and keep working after a colleague tests positive for COVID-19, and said it follows the guidelines. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on quarantines. for “close contacts”.
The CDC defines close contact as being within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more for 24 hours from two days prior to illness onset until isolation.
“If a flight attendant or a pilot meets the criteria, we ask them to quarantine themselves. Otherwise, they are instructed to self-monitor, ”United spokeswoman Leslie Scott said. She declined to explain how she determines close contact.
Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant said: “As we have done during this pandemic, we follow the guidelines of the CDC and other health authorities to ensure that all Delta people are quarantined if they have close and prolonged contact. with a Covid-19 positive individual “.
Both United and Delta said the safety and health of their customers and employees is their top priority and pointed to measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, including requiring masks and more thorough cleaning.
SPEEDREAD
● United flight attendants expressed their discomfort and frustration with the airline’s lax quarantine and contract monitoring protocols.
● The Federal Aviation Administration has issued COVID-19 policy recommendations but there are no government mandates on the issue. That has created inconsistent safety protocols across the industry, the unions said.
● The Flight Attendants Association says it has received complaints from members that United did not isolate the entire crew that has worked with an infected colleague.
Airlines say studies show planes are “exceptionally safe” thanks to hospital-grade air filtration systems, assuming people wear masks and flight crews haven’t contracted COVID-19 at rates higher than the rest of the American population.
But as cases rise across the country, so do airline workers.
AFA said it saw an average of 50 positive COVID-19 tests per week in November among about 25,000 active crew members, up from 10 weekly in the summer. The apparent discrepancy in quarantine protocols comes amid staff shortages following massive licensing and when some airlines resume food and beverage service.
Flight attendants said they work closely together even if they are assigned to different kitchens and share various stages of a domestic shift and stopovers.
When asked for details on its quarantine criteria, United said it follows the FAA bulletin, Operator Safety Alert. The Nov. 4 quarantine bulletin says the FAA and CDC recommend that crew members with known exposure to COVID-19 not work until 14 days after the last potential exposure.
He also cites the CDC guidance that even if crew members show no symptoms, they should not be allowed to work as they cannot retire on their own if they develop symptoms. It notes “the challenges of effectively isolating a symptomatic person on board an airplane.”
Last week, the CDC shortened the quarantine to seven days with a negative test and 10 without a test.
United’s Scott said the airline was following the new guidance on how many days close contacts should be in quarantine while the FAA works on updating the bulletin.
However, the union has asked the FAA to maintain or strengthen the recommendation that any flight attendant potentially exposed to the virus be quarantined for 14 days.
“With the pandemic getting worse as winter approaches, it is unacceptable to backtrack on existing quarantine practices that are critical to limiting infections,” AFA air safety director Christopher Witkowski said in a letter from 5 December as seen by Reuters.
