Flight Attendants’ Remuneration Act

Compensating safety-critical and employer-directed time is important for fairness and safety, but this bill mandates regular-rate pay for broad on-duty periods and uncontrollable delays, increasing costs and reducing flexibility for a globally competitive industry. Without offsetting productivity measures or flexibility, it likely undermines competitiveness and adds regulatory constraints that conflict with growth-oriented goals.

• Positive: Ensures fair pay for mandatory duties and training, which can support safety and workforce stability.
• Concerns: Prescriptive rules for time calculation and delay pay raise costs, reduce contractual freedom, and risk higher fares and service cuts, particularly on thin regional routes.
• Suggested improvements: Allow collective bargaining alternatives that maintain safety and minimum standards while offering flexibility in compensating delay time (e.g., per-diem or capped amounts); limit mandatory regular-rate pay for delays outside the employer’s control; phase in the change to manage costs while encouraging airlines to pursue scheduling and operational productivity gains.