United Flight Attendants' New 12 Hour Drinking Policy

Don't forget about the other incident last week of the drunk FA on a United Express flight from ORD-SBN. This was on a CRJ where there's often only one FA, and she wasn't just a little over .04. Arrest records showed a BAC of .204

I don't see a big deal about the new rule. Why are people so alcoholic that they can't live without any adult beverages for 12 hours? Or even days during layover. If you can't live without a drink for some period of time, that job is probably not right for you.

This is a stupid rule, I expect the union will push back and UA will reconsider.

I work for a United regional and our rule is 10, most airlines go beyond the FAA requirements. When I told people about this they were surprised that United still had 8.

@DB idiotic comment as I’m sure you would be fine in an aircraft with crew having knowingly consumed alcohol ? Should be 24 hours

Pilots operating Part 121 airline operations (every major airline) actually have an alcohol limit of .02

@Icarus

So a FA on a 7:00 AM flight can't have a glass of wine at an 8:00 PM dinner...I think that's pretty idiotic.

This is hardly unprecedented or unreasonable. All services of military aviation have had a 12 hour "bottle-to-brief" rule since the 90s. And it was augmented in the 00s with a rule forbidding consumption within 12 hours of any flight/mission planning activity.

In your world however it can have an impact and no one wants to take a risk. Why is alcohol so
Important to some people ? I am not t total however I guess you have no idea how complex the operation of an airline or flight is and everyone has a different tolerance threshold. Furthermore how do you know whether that person isn’t on meds

The worst thing that ever happened to civilization was the elevation of the self-righteous.

The UAL rule was always 12 hours prior to the merger w/ CAL...It was changed to the CAL 8 hr timeline when the companies merged...

This rule is in place with almost all airlines. I am shocked that United is just in acting the 12-hour rule. What is ridiculous about this article is stating that most layovers for Flight attendants are over 8 hours. It may be true for Pilots across the board, however Flight attendants are consistently flown into the minimum of 8 hours once parked at the gate. Imagine what's open after 10 PM once you make it to rest, and then back on shuttle to airport for 5 or 6 am flight? No meals on board, no flight delay and absolutely no over staffed flight! Ah! Were do you get your information? Airlines staff minimum crew across the board all the time, because lord knows we can't leave any luggage behind.

Please Ben, tell me what airline staffs their FA crew above minimum? I don't know of any in the US. The only time we are staffed above minimum is for international flights. Domestics are never above minimum.

And thanks for minimizing the job of an FA. Pilots push a few buttons to get the plane to go. FAs are there in case there's a fire on board, you have a heart attack, someone gropes you, someone tries to start a fight with you, prepares you to evacuate if the pilots can't land without tearing up the plane. Please don't minimize what we do. We have to be just as alert as a pilot, if not moreso.

What about requiring that pilots simply never drink alcohol. The drug-free rule is applied for other drugs, and alcohol is arguably a worse drug than some others already excluded. It's only social inertia and marketing by the alcohol industry that's got humanity clinging onto the delusion that alcohol consumption as acceptable anyway. I see it is kind of a neanderthal habit.

Do not go to Glasgow . There is a grass in a hotel who has and is reporting United pilots and crew many times, also Canadian pilots arrested same thing.
It’s the hotel staff doing this evil.
Fly the Edinburgh flight and you are all good . We love you all.