FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration — US regulator whose Part 121 rules govern flight attendant training, duty and rest at US airlines.
Definition
The FAA is the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency of the US Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in the United States. Airline operations fall under 14 CFR Part 121, which sets minimum flight attendant numbers per seat, training requirements and, in section 121.467, flight attendant duty and rest limits; since 2004 every US flight attendant receives an FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency on completing training. The FAA does not require a medical certificate for flight attendants, so airlines run their own.
What it means for you
For a US flight attendant the FAA is the floor and the union contract is the building: the regulation sets the maximum scheduled duty day and, since October 2022, a non-reducible 10 consecutive hours of rest, while the collective agreement adds pay rules and improvements on top. The certificate you earn in training is yours and travels with you between airlines. The FAA also runs the security and drug-testing frameworks you will be subject to for your whole career.
In practice
The FAA's October 2022 rule matched flight attendant rest to pilots' by mandating at least 10 hours off after a standard duty day; American Airlines and United train their new hires in Dallas and Houston to Part 121 standards before base assignment.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- EASARegulationEuropean Union Aviation Safety Agency — the EU regulator whose Air Operations rules set cabin crew training, attestation and duty limits.
- FTLRegulationFlight time limitations — a regulator's legal caps on duty, flight hours and minimum rest: the only hard limit on what a roster can ask.
- Rest periodRoster & schedulingThe uninterrupted time free of all duties that must separate two duties: 12 hours at base and 10 away under EASA, 10 hours under the FAA.
- UnionPay & benefitsThe organisation that negotiates cabin crew pay, work rules and grievances collectively with the airline.