OTTAWA – After granting an exemption on its existing air safety rules that set the required number of flight attendants on board, the federal government says it’s working on changing regulations to allow all airlines to reduce cabin crew members on flights without seeking permission.
A department official made the comments Tuesday, downplaying criticism from union officials and opposition politicians over Transport Canada’s recent decision in May to allow WestJet to reduce cabin crew to a ratio of one flight attendant for every 50 passengers seats, instead of the required ratio of one flight attendant per 40 passengers.
The department is also reviewing a similar request from Air Canada.
A union representing about 10,000 Canadian flight attendants from different airlines said its members would challenge the exemptions in court, based on their Charter right to a “safe and secure workplace.”
The two Canadian airlines have said they applied for the exemptions to ensure a level playing field with other carriers that fly into Canada.
Former federal transport minister Lawrence Cannon had rejected similar requests to reduce the ratio in 2006, explaining that the government recognized “the important contribution that flight attendants make, particularly with respect to the orderly evacuation of aircraft.”
The airline division president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Michel Cournoyer, noted that a ratio of one flight attendant per 30 passengers on board a 2005 Air France plane — that crash-landed in Toronto and caught fire — helped save the lives of all people on board.
“The only difference (from 2006) is that the Conservative government is now putting airline companies’ profits ahead of passenger safety,” said Cournoyer, with NDP transport critic Olivia Chow and deputy critic Robert Aubin, at a news conference.
Transport Canada described the one-to-50 ratio on Tuesday as an “international norm” recognized by the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization for providing the same level of safety as the existing Canadian standard.
Chow questioned why the government was willing to use the international organization’s norms for measures that help companies reduce costs, but not for safety issues such as guidelines for pilot hours of service and fatigue as well as for the recommended length of runways.
The federal department downplayed concerns raised by the union that the change would leave at least one exit “uncovered” by crew during emergencies on board an aircraft.
Transport Canada spokeswoman Kelly James said operators would need to update their operations manual, cabin training manual and courses before reducing staff and “demonstrate to the department that their procedures are effective for passengers.”
James also said that Transport Canada granted the exemption to WestJet following a “thorough” review and that it had 90 days to review the request from Air Canada. But she added that the department was studying the regulatory change “so that airlines can meet this internationally recognized standard without seeking an exemption.”
Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, said it was “premature” to discuss the union’s safety concerns about covering emergency exits, since the airline has just applied for the exemption and must now discuss it with Transport Canada.
“In no way does it diminish Air Canada’s first priority which is the safety of our passengers and crew,” said Fitzpatrick.
Cannon had also said in 2006, that the government would not change the ratio in the near future, but would continue studying the issue, while considering feedback to ensure safety.
Cournoyer said his union hasn’t been able to meet with Transport Minister Denis Lebel to discuss its concerns.
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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified Transport Canada spokeswoman Kelly James. It also misstated that two airlines had requested exemptions on a required ratio of flight attendants per passenger on flights from the current requirement of one flight attendant per 40 passengers to one flight attendant per 50 passengers. The story has been changed to reflect the changes.
