- Icelandair, the island nation’s flag carrier, announced on Friday that it will fire all of its flight attendants.
- Starting Monday, Icelandair pilots will assume the roles of flight attendants, the company said.
- The legality and practicality of having pilots act as flight attendants is unclear.
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Icelandair announced Friday that it would fire all of its flight attendants, ending a labor dispute with the crew members union that started last month.
In the unprecedented move, the airline said it planned to have its pilots temporarily take over the duties of flight attendants by overseeing the safety of those on board, starting July 20.
“Icelandair will permanently terminate the employment of its current cabin crew members and permanently discontinue the employment relationship between the parties,” Icelandair said in a statement.
But the pilots won’t spend much time pushing cars down the aisle and handing out drinks and food.
Services “will continue to be minimal, as (they have been) since the COVID-19 impact began,” the airline said.
Flight attendants play a vital role in maintaining safety during flight, particularly in the event of an emergency. It is unclear how a pilot could successfully assume the role of flight attendant, especially just two days in advance.
It is also not apparent if such a setup is legal in the regions Icelandair flies in, including the US and the European Union.
In the United States, hostesses must complete a variety of trainings to become a certified crew member.
Delta flight attendants, for example, receive a two-month training that trains them in topics including swimming, CPR, and how to evacuate a plane in 90 seconds.
Representatives of the airline, the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association, the Icelandic Transport Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Since the airline is not a US airline, the Federal Aviation Administration has no regulatory authority over it, an FAA spokesman said.
Icelandair, like the rest of the airline industry, has seen passenger numbers collapse since the coronavirus pandemic essentially shut down international travel earlier this year.
In May 2019, 419,000 passengers flew on Icelandair. In May 2020, only 3,100 jumped on board.
Last month, the airline announced a financial restructuring, with the aim of “securing current operations, strengthening liquidity and guaranteeing the Company’s future competitiveness.”
