Nope, that would be official. It has to be in the exemption request document. You cannot use an exemption that forces people out of work.

YYCcrew wrote:Word on the street is that due to the high interest from all of the Canadian operators for 1/50 an amendment to the regulations or a global exemption is coming soon from TC.

gonnabeapilot wrote:Let's be honest here.... this is CUPE and this is about jobs, nothing more. The US and western Europe operate with the one in 50 rule and not only is it deemed safe by their regulating authorities, airlines from the various countries have been allowed to operate into Canada using this ratio as well. If safety is really such an issue, maybe CUPE should also be lobbying the government to ban any non-Canadian registered airline from operating into our country until they conform to our 1 in 40 standard. Even with in Canada dash 8s and RJs have been operating with the 1 in 50 exemption for years and nobody seemed to worry too much about that. In fact, in some instances the new exemption is actually "safer" than the old one. The current standard requires 1 FA for every 40 PAX on the aircraft where the new exemption requires a ratio of 1 FA for every 50 SEATS on the aircraft. So if an aircraft holds 177 people (like a WS 738) but the flight only has 120 pax on it, under the current standard the flight could be operated with only 3 FAs. However since WS now operates under the new exemption, the flight must still operate with 4 FAs regardless of the passenger load. So depending on load factors, the exemption might actually require a GREATER number of FAs be onboard than the current regulations require. Again, you don't hear CUPE lobbying the government to expand the current regulations to require 1 FA for every 40 Seats (because after all, what difference does load factor make if their argument is focused around the need to open exit doors and assist in an evacuation??).

What this is all about is that the day WestJet first applied for the exemption, every other airline in Canada started evaluating whether or not it would be worth it to do the same. Notice how there were no appeals by CUPE when WestJet was approved?? What about the concern for the safety of the flying public from a union who represents aviation professionals?? Sunwing was the first CUPE airline to pull the pin and apply and be approved. That's when this all kicked off. From my understanding, Air Transat has applied for the exemption but has not been successful in passing the test and Air Canada is seriously considering applying for the exemption as well. CUPE claims to represent 10,000 Flight Attendants in Canada of which approximately 800 work for Sunwing. Sunwing has always hired seasonally for the winter so the ability to operate with fewer FAs resulted in 0 lay-offs during the winter however it will result in more lay-offs during the summer months. It sucks for those who might be laid off this summer for the first time in years and part of this whole battle is CUPE trying to save their jobs. But more than anything, this is about the 9200 other Flight Attendants who work for various other CUPE airlines who might be facing large scale staffing reductions if their airlines are successful in getting the 1 in 50 exemption. I know everyone loves to take pot shots at Sunwing but this has nothing to do with the safety of the airline... this is CUPE fighting for CUPE jobs. Nothing more, nothing less.

The safety of the travelling public depends on having an appropriate number of cabin crew trained in safety and security procedures, as demonstrated by Asiana flight 214's crash in San Francisco on July 6th, 2013, when all but two passengers were successfully evacuated from a burning aircraft by a full contingent of brave flight attendants - at the time, the flight had a ratio of 1 flight attendant per 24 passengers.

This was again demonstrated during Air France flight 358's crash in Toronto Pearson on August 2nd 2005, when a full complement of cabin crew managed to evacuate all passengers safely from a burning aircraft in less than 90 seconds. At the time, the flight had a ratio of 1 flight attendant per 30 passengers.

timel wrote:Petition here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/transpo ... n-airlines

The safety of the travelling public depends on having an appropriate number of cabin crew trained in safety and security procedures, as demonstrated by Asiana flight 214's crash in San Francisco on July 6th, 2013, when all but two passengers were successfully evacuated from a burning aircraft by a full contingent of brave flight attendants - at the time, the flight had a ratio of 1 flight attendant per 24 passengers.

This was again demonstrated during Air France flight 358's crash in Toronto Pearson on August 2nd 2005, when a full complement of cabin crew managed to evacuate all passengers safely from a burning aircraft in less than 90 seconds. At the time, the flight had a ratio of 1 flight attendant per 30 passengers.

That flight was being operated by a carrier from a country where 1 in 50 is the standard for cabin crew, but some people refuse to acknowledge that.

Capt. Underpants wrote:As has already been said, they failed the test because they had a procedure which included a briefing element that was redundant and a waste of critical time

It sounds as if once that was figured out, changes were made and the test was passed.

P.S.

I don't know if Sunwing picked their samples, but I know of another company where crew were called in on reserve and were not told what they were doing until they arrived at the crew room. They were put on a bus, taken to the hangar and did the tests.

BeechjetYKZ wrote:Call me naive but how does having 1 more FA help with evacuation times? They aren't pushing the passengers out the door and down the slides. It's just one more person in the cabin to take up space and yell during an emergency which IMO does not help. Passengers are responsible for getting themselves and their dependant travellers out of the plane. There are four armed (with slides) exit doors on the 737 and 4 flight attendants are there to open each one. The 4 overwing exit doors basically open themselves (once a passenger pulls on the red handle).