Beverage Carts, Aircraft Doors, Tight Spaces, Oh My!
While the lives of airline attendant may seem glamorous given the flight benefits many of them enjoy, the fact of the matter is they are highly trained for safety and other functions on the aircraft.
But what most air travelers do not realize is that airline attendants must pass difficult physical duties requirements, including being able to open, close, and lift 80 pound aircraft doors; push and pull very heavy drink carts and food wagons; and help load and unload overhead bags that are often times packed denser than mercury. There’s significant stooping, squatting, bending, and reaching involved, and packing a galley for a cross country or transcontinental flight is no easy feat.
In addition, unlike the seats with extra legroom that can be purchased with points or dollars, or the comfy first-class section, the jumpseat provided most aircraft crew is minimal and often uncomfortable. In some aircraft, these crew seats are rear-facing. Those of us who remember riding backwards in our parents’ station wagon remember being nauseated and carsick after just a short while watching the world go by — backwards!
When there’s an injury to a flight attendant or crew member during flight, the plane cannot simply pull over, like your parent’s station wagon. Oftentimes medical attention for airline personnel arrives many hours or days later. Members of the flight crew must wait until they get home to receive proper medical attention. Others prefer not to see a strange doctor in a strange city, but instead return to their family physician when they get to their home city.
East coast airline injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that “the peripatetic existence of many airline employees makes it very difficult to have a continuity of medical treatment, send medical records to the family physician, and get Workers’ Compensation benefits started in a timely manner.”
If you or someone you know is a flight attendant or flight crew member who was injured in flight and there are questions as to what laws apply, email or call Abrams Landau, Ltd. at once (703-796-9555).