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MarkHkg
03-22-2008, 01:50 AM
ISSUED 3/20/2008

SUBJECT: Accomplishing safety-related functions in Part 135 operations

http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/safo/all_safos/media/2008/SAFO08010.pdf

DISCUSSION: In a high-profile accident a turbojet operating as a part 135 charter flight ran off the departure end of the takeoff runway. No one was killed, but some occupants sustained serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post-impact fire. The accident investigation revealed that a person provided as a cabin aide to perform passenger service functions was inadequately trained in safety related functions, such as opening the cabin door to evacuate passengers. The passengers and the pilots presumed that this person was trained as a required flight attendant.
A person employed to perform cabin services is not necessarily required by part 135 regulations to be trained and qualified in safety related functions, unlike a required flight attendant (required on an airplane seating 20 or more passengers). Such a person might be mistaken by passengers as a fully qualified flight attendant. Therefore, in such cases when there is no flight attendant on board pilots should be perfectly clear in their required safety briefings to cabin occupants – passengers and cabin service people alike – that all safety functions will be accomplished by the pilots themselves.


USE OF NON-SAFETY PERSONNEL ONBOARD AN AIRCRAFT
DURING OPERATIONS

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afs/afs200/branches/afs250/media/NonSafetyPers.pdf

U.S. air carriers periodically use persons in the cabins of its aircraft for the purpose of conducting certain passenger service activities such as serving beverages, conducting customer relations, or acting as translators. These persons are not assigned to flights to perform safety duties, and can be considered ‘non-safety personnel.’

A. These persons are not acting in the capacity of a flight attendant, nor are they, in general, trained or qualified in duties relating to cabin safety.

B. The regulations do not prohibit the use of non-safety personnel onboard an aircraft during operations by a part 121 or part 135 air carrier. However, their presence could conceivably interfere with flight attendants or other crewmembers if they were not properly instructed. Additionally, passengers could mistakenly consider these persons as a crewmember if not advised otherwise. The following guidance should be considered when an air carrier uses non-safety personnel onboard an aircraft during operations conducted under their air carrier certificate:
(1) Status of Non-Safety Personnel. Air carriers may use these individuals to perform activities limited to passenger service. They are a different type of cabin personnel and are not persons trained as flight attendants or other crewmembers responsible for cabin safety.
(2) Applicable Regulations. Non-safety personnel onboard an aircraft are subject to the same regulatory requirements as passengers. For example, they must receive a pre-takeoff briefing, they must be seated in a passenger seat for movement on the surface, takeoff and landing, and they must stow their carry-on baggage. They must also comply with the seat belt requirements and crewmember instructions. They may not conduct any activities during movement on the surface. The operator may determine that these individuals are crewmembers. If so, the crewmember’s duties and responsibilities must be included in the air carrier’s general operations manual.

(3) Instruction. These individuals should receive enough instruction so that they know what activities they may perform and equipment they may or may not operate so as not to interfere with flight attendants or other crewmembers. If they operate cabin safety equipment, they must carry applicable parts of the operations manual, which should provide enough information to ensure that they understand their duties and procedures, and to ensure that they do not interfere with other crewmember’s duties and procedures.

(4) Assignment of Activities. The activities assigned to these individuals should be clearly distinguishable to passengers from the duties assigned to other crewmembers. They should not be permitted to operate any equipment or systems for which specific training is required by 14 Code of Federal Regulations (e.g., electrical galley equipment, heating and ventilation controls for the cabin, and the public address system, except to perform language translator duties for passenger briefings). Additionally, these persons should not be permitted to conduct any portion of a required safety briefing or demonstration (e.g. use of seat belts, location of the emergency, exits, use of oxygen, etc.).

(5) Identification of Non-Safety Personnel. Operators should employ methods to ensure that passengers do not mistake non-safety personnel as flight attendants or other crewmembers and to identify crewmembers that are responsible for safety-related tasks. Operators should ensure that passengers are aware that non-safety personnel are not trained or qualified to act in a safety-related capacity.

CD
03-22-2008, 03:06 PM
Thanks for posting that!

Sonal
05-31-2008, 04:30 PM
thank you for that information

CD
06-02-2008, 07:42 AM
5STARFLYER...

As the SAFO notes, these individuals are on board the aircraft to perform service duties and may not have received any training related to cabin safety. They are not carried in addition to a fully trained cabin crew member -- they are carried instead of one. Of course, a fully trained cabin crew member can also provide exceptional service but in the absence of a regulatory requirement to provide a trained safety professional in the cabin, there are companies/operators that will employ the least expensive individual...

More discussion from earlier at this link:

flight attendant vs decorative hostess (http://www.corporateflyer.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3377)