Earlier, I covered how Delta issued a memo to flight attendants, related to service changes before flights take off. Specifically, flight attendants will have to collect all service items, including pre-departure drinks, before the aircraft pushes back, rather than just before takeoff.
Curious, because those tiny plastic water bottles that Endeavor/Republic/whatever sometimes leaves out for their 'First' Class customers on their 'luxurious' CRJs operating as 'Delta Connection' don't seem to need to be collected... huh. Maybe the PDB just need lids? Sippy-cups?
Does this apply to all airlines operating a flight in the US or just US carriers? I.e. Will we see Emirates et al continuing as normal but US airlines barking at pax to drink up and confiscating plastic cups?
Did you know that FAA rules don't actually allow you to hold your Starbucks during takeff?
Passenger food and drink containers are “considered carry-on baggage and must be properly stowed.” You’re not actually supposed to hold an open cup because no airline “may allow an airplane to take off or land unless each article of baggage is stowed.”
We can still hold hard metal objects in our hands like phones and ipads though, right? Or, you know, humans in the form of lap infants?
Sigh.
Do you think this will more or less mark the end of pre-departure drinks in the US? It was already getting very hit or miss on domestic flights with it left up to the flight crew to decide. It isn’t uncommon that the flight attendants waits until the flight has finished boarding before drinks are offered. Now, if cups need to be collected before push back, I can imagine many flight crews opting to skip the whole thing entirely
Meanwhile more serious safety hazards, like luggage in exit rows or closed window blinds during take-off/landing, are fine in the US… Neither one is allowed for safety reasons in Europe.
What if I bring my own empty paper cup and transfer the drink to my personal cup? Now it’s my cup and the flight attendant cannot take it away
I have to give it to the FAA (and really the DOT as a whole, with the dashcam rule)...
They're making an uncomfortably good case for another DOGE clean-out. Clearly Elon missed a spot.
Who the hell at the FAA has started dating an AA flight attendant??
This is beyond ridiculous…