Summary The FAA has denied a petition from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) to change the rules regarding smoke and fume events. The FAA argued that the latest Reauthorization Act has already mandated the regulator to study the topic. Meanwhile, the AFA-CWA criticized the legislation's language for being too ambiguous.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has denied a request from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) to change the way airlines report smoke and fume events on commercial flights. No criteria to change the rules In a response to the AFA-CWA, the FAA stated that after a review and considering the current priorities of the regulator, it has determined that the union’s petition does not meet the criteria to pursue rulemaking at this time. “However, the issue of cabin air safety and quality will be studied further in the near term, and if future rulemaking is determined to be necessary [.
..].
In the meantime, your comments and arguments for the proposed rule changes in your petition will be placed in a database, which the FAA will examine when the FAA considers future rulemaking.” The FAA argued that the newest Reauthorization Act directed the regulator to address these issues in a comprehensive way. Congress has mandated the regulator to develop a standardized system for crew members to study and issue recommendations on cabin air quality.
If appropriate, the FAA would issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to establ.