Washington, D.C. — Greg Regan, secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement on the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) launch of the 2Hot2Cold App and release of petitions to DOT on extreme airline temperatures:
“Extreme heat and cold on aircrafts is a health and safety issue that poses serious risks for passengers and flight crew members alike. Furthermore, these conditions have caused flights to be diverted, passengers deplaned and planes switched on the tarmac, impacting and often disrupting the entire passenger aviation industry and its workforce. TTD is proud to stand with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the flight attendant community in advocating for common sense regulations on aircraft temperatures.
“Today’s efforts by AFA to combat extreme airline temperatures through petitions to the Department of Transportation and an innovative app to crowdsource critical data represent a tremendous step forward for this industry.
“Hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, including customer service agents who issue tickets and check bags, TSA agents who operate security, air traffic controllers and aviation safety specialists who keep the system moving, ground crew workers who move baggage and direct aircraft, and pilots and flight attendants who safely deliver passengers to their destination, work each day to ensure the system is safe and efficient. We must provide them the tools they need – including regulations and mechanisms to monitor and adjust aircraft temperatures.”