=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/05= /18/TR249356.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, May 18, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Passengers feeling airline crew cuts Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post If your flight feels a little empty these days, it could be more than ju= st the drop-off in passengers. A traveler's careful eye might note a growing phenomenon of the nation's distressed airlines: the missing flight attendant. The major carriers have laid off more than 10,000 flight attendants since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents more than 50,000 members at 26 airlines. Passengers grouse that the general comforts of air travel are shrinking along with the number of flight attendants. And the flight attendants are feeling the stress. In the old days, airlines installed the cabin crew for both safety and service. Now the primary concern of most carriers is safety. Flights with 100 passengers or more must have at least two flight attendants, says Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Alison Duquette. For every 50 additional passengers, another crew member is required. With fewer colleagues, flight attendants feel the pressure of a slower boarding process because they can't help as many passengers as they'd like to but must focus on passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors. It also takes longer to pass out drinks and snacks. And the longer they'= re in the aisle with the beverage cart, "the longer people are trapped in their seats waiting to get to the rest room," says Alin Boswell, a flight attendant with US Airways. For 14 years, Boswell has flown primarily on flights to Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco. Flights that once had four attendants now have two to handle 100-plus passengers, he said. Attendants also fret over job security, possible pay cuts and even the viability of their airlines. And with good reason: Last month, US Airways said it was laying off 890 of its 5,940 flight attendants and said it would staff most longer flights with the minimum number of attendants required. Other major carriers such as Delta Air Lines have also recently reduced some flight staffing to government-mandated minimums. Since the terrorist attacks, American Airlines has cut 2,751 of its 28,0= 00 flight attendants and said last week that it will lay off 3,100 more on July 1 to avoid bankruptcy. If it doesn't succeed, it could let many more go.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle