Airline Workers Say They Warned About Coronavirus Dangers Months Before Infections Hit

Before hundreds of airline and transportation workers became infected with the coronavirus, workers said they warned officials of the risk, but say their concerns were ignored.

Now amid announcements and news stories that more than 100 American Airlines flight attendants and as many as 600 Southwest Airlines employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, they say their warnings have still not received the attention they deserve.

“As of Saturday, the Company (American Airlines) has reported approximately 100 flight attendants have tested positive for COVID-19. Without a doubt, that number will increase in the following days and weeks,” a tweet from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants says.

The APFA website states that it is the largest independent flight attendant union in the nation, representing more than 27,000 flight attendants at Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Workers are asking for more protection from the infection as news of two deaths among their ranks has been announced.

The two deaths are related to a flight attendant based out of St, Louis and another based out of Philadelphia. However, the airline is researching whether the St, Louis flight attendant, who has been on leave from the company since 2018, succumbed to COVID-19, according to an American Airlines official.

“Earlier this week, we lost a respected, longtime member of the American Airlines family, who tested positive for COVID-19,” said a statement American Airlines issued on March 26. “Paul Frishkorn joined us as a flight attendant in 1997 and was based in Philadelphia. Over the years he built a reputation as a consummate professional who was honored as one of American’s Flight Service Champions twice for his excellent service to our customers.“

Officials with Dallas-based Southwest Airlines say the estimate of their employees who have tested positive is overstated.

“The safety and well-being of Southwest’s employees and customers is our uncompromising priority, and Southwest continues implementing measures to maintain our aircraft cabins, airport locations, and work centers with the highest standards of cleanliness, including following all CDC guidelines, during this unprecedented time,” a statement from Southwest Airlines says. “Currently, far less than 1% of more than 60,000 Southwest Airlines Employees have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Officials with the flight attendants union say they will continue their work trying to convince American Airlines corporate officials about the seriousness of their situation.

“Even before the crisis escalated, APFA worked tirelessly to persuade the Company (American Airlines) to commit to a proactive approach rather than the current reactive response,” a flight attendant union tweet said. “APFA repeatedly attempted to work with the Company long before any reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States. The Company remained nonchalant, almost oblivious to the seriousness this threat posed to our membership and our Country.

“APFA concerns have been repeatedly downplayed or dismissed - the Company has told our members to ‘simply wash our hands and use hand sanitizer, and everything would be fine.’ APFA was keenly aware (in January) the significant risk COVID-19 posed to the health and financial well being of our membership. Now in April, we are in the middle of a deadly global pandemic - everyone needs to remain vigilant in protecting themselves,” the union’s tweet said.

American Airlines officials state that they have been working hard to address some of the worker concerns. Flight attendants are allowed to wear masks during flights, regardless of the destination or the duration of the flight, a statement from the airline said.

In addition, to further provide for social distancing and minimal contact between flight attendants and customers, American will offer limited food and beverage options through April 30, a statement from the airline said. The reduced service will be based on flight length and destination, according to the statement.

Since March 24, the airline has been allowing gate agents to reassign seats to create more space between customers to encourage social distancing. Once on board — provided there aren’t any aircraft weight or balance restrictions — customers can move to another seat within their ticketed cabin subject to availability. American will also block 50% of standard middle seats and all seats adjacent to flight attendant jump seats on every flight, the statement says.

“We are in regular communication with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and follow their guidance for essential workers – which includes commercial air travel – who may been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19,” the airline’s statement says. “Our guidance to all team members is to regularly monitor themselves for symptoms – even if they don’t think they’ve been exposed – and to not come to work if they are not feeling well.”

Once an employee shares that they have tested positive for COVID-19, the Pandemic Response Team at American works with managers and other employees to identify those who might have been in close contact with that employee, the statement said.

American offers a two-week paid pandemic leave for employees who have tested positive, are awaiting test results or are ordered to quarantine by either a doctor, the CDC, and/or a local public health department official due to exposure to a confirmed case, the statement said.

“However, if employees are unable to seek medical care or get a doctor’s note regarding the need to self-isolate or quarantine, we will work with our team members on a case-by-case basis to be covered under the two-week leave policy. The safety of our customers and team members remains our top priority.”

Additionally, the airline will have voluntary leave options for eligible team members. For flight attendants, this includes a partial salary component. This program has been agreed to with the APFA, the statement said.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, John Samuelsen, international president of the Transportation Workers Union of America, which represents workers at Southwest Airlines, wrote that efforts must be made to improve cleaning and disinfecting of aircraft, social distancing, proper personal protective gear and notice to employees of the threat of exposure to the coronavirus.

“I urge both the FAA and OSHA to take immediate action to ensure the health and safety of TWU’s flight attendants and all cabin crew who, during this pandemic, continue to put themselves in harm’s way in order to serve the public,” the letter states.

———

©2020 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.