Passenger Safety Compromised in Canada by Reduction in Flight Attendants

A move by Transport Canada to reduce the number of flight attendants on domestic aircraft will compromise the safety of passengers in an increasingly vulnerable industry, politicians and air crew warned Friday at demonstrations held across the country.

The opposition New Democrats joined with flight attendants to denounce the agency's bid to scale back the ratio of crew to passengers, insisting that in the post 9-11 world it should instead be increasing the number of crew members required.

''The government of Canada should in no way be compromising safety for the bottom dollar,'' said Peter Stoffer, a Nova Scotia MP who was surrounded by a dozen flight attendants at the Halifax International Airport.

''The travelling public should be fully aware that these flight attendants aren't there just to serve coffee. They're there for their safety and protection.''

Stoffer said the disputed measure is more about helping air carriers cut costs than ensuring the well-being of passengers, who could soon have fewer hands to help in an emergency.

Transport Canada is in the process of changing regulations that require most aircraft to have one flight attendant per 40 passengers. Under the new rule, that ratio would drop to one crew member per 50 seats.

The agency claims the move, which has been requested by smaller domestic carriers for more than a decade, will bring Canada's rules in line with international standards.

Lucie Vignola, a spokeswoman for Transport Canada, said the measure will not necessarily lead to fewer attendants on commercial flights or affect passenger safety.

''When you're talking about having 80 per cent passenger loads, which is pretty much what all carriers have been operating under, it would be the same number of flight attendants on almost all aircraft,'' she said from Ottawa.

''A lot of this is just to harmonize with other countries.''

The adjustment would allow airlines to choose how they calculate the ratio. It could be based on how many tickets are sold or the number of seats on the aircraft.

That differs from the U.S. model, which determines the number of flight attendants based on how many passengers are on board.

Vignola conceded that the discrepancy means Canada's proposed system might not mesh perfectly with the American method.

Transport Canada rejected several previous requests to change the formula because they didn't ensure consumer safety. The government conducted a risk assessment in 2003, finding the 1:50 ratio was acceptable.

Flight attendants said the change will mean more work for crews that are responsible for everything from serving meals to dealing with medical emergencies and evacuations.

Karen Graham, an attendant with Air Canada, said she watched in terror a year ago as 10 crew members scrambled to get 297 passengers off a burning Air France plane that skidded off the tarmac at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

She insisted the outcome would have been much different had there been fewer crew members on board.

''After Air France, it's scary and disheartening to think that they are completely ignoring the fact that safety does come first with us,'' she said, adding that the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 greatly changed the nature of their work.

''Sept. 11 brought in a new reality for us, so to decrease the number of flight attendants on board now doesn't seem possible.''

David Jeans of Transport 2000 said the real concern is for smaller airplanes that might only have one or two flight attendants on board, since the new measure could reduce that to one attendant on a 50-seater plane.

''Our concern is for maintaining the current number of flight attendants until we have real evidence that the same level of safety can be ensured with a smaller number and we haven't seen that yet,'' he said from Ottawa.

''This has a lot to do with the economies of these smaller airlines as well as increasing fuel costs.''

Officials with Air Canada declined to comment, while those with WestJet did not return calls.