U.S. flight attendants to now get uninterrupted rest periods extended to ten hours

A final ruling has been issued by the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration that will now require flight attendants to have a minimum ten-consecutive-hour break between shifts, increased by one hour from the previous nine-hour break.

The ruling also meets the requirements of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which directed the FAA to increase the minimum rest period for flight attendants with scheduled duty of 14 hours or less and eliminate the provision that permitted rest to be reduced in certain circumstances.

“Flight attendants perform critical safety roles. This rule puts them and safety first,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “Flight attendants, like all essential transportation workers, work hard every day to keep the travelling public safe and we owe them our full support,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This new rule will make it easier for flight attendants to do their jobs, which in turn will keep all of us safe in the air.”

The agency reviewed over 1,000 comments from flight attendants, airlines and the public. The final rule will become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.