9.23.23 – Cabin LOSA Observations to Begin Late October

Cabin LOSA Observations to Begin Late October

Saturday, September 23,  2023

Safety is the highest priority for us as Flight Attendants, and certain requirements of current AA Safety programs have yet to be fully implemented per the regulations and standards of the FAA.

As previously communicated in hotlines earlier this year, per the FAA, the company has implemented an SMS or Safety Management System. This type of program is a requirement for all Part 121 operators, and the program must include reactive, proactive, and predictive hazard identification processes. Our current Cabin ASAP program serves the needs of proactive and reactive hazard identification methods; Cabin LOSA would fulfill the predictive requirement. 

Why is this happening now?

Currently, Flight Attendants are subject to Quality Assurance Rides (QARs), which are conducted by an Inflight Manager (FSM). The FAA has informed American Airlines that QARs are no longer sufficient to satisfy the audit requirement to comply with the Safety Management System required of 121 operators.

To fulfill the requirements of the FAA, QARs will have to be replaced by check rides, which are not voluntary and can lead to punitive action towards Flight Attendants.

Cabin LOSA vs. Check Rides
click image to enlarge

Cabin LOSA is a voluntary, confidential, non-punitive, and peer-driven safety program. The objective of the Cabin LOSA program is to collect safety data for the intended use of making necessary changes to policies and procedures, as well as to identify future risks to our safety onboard the aircraft.

How will an observation work?

1. An APFA line-qualified Flight Attendant, who has been trained as a Cabin LOSA Observer, selects a flight to observe.
2. The Cabin LOSA observer will introduce themselves, explain the Cabin LOSA Program, and ask all Flight Attendants if they would like to participate in the program.
3. If all Flight Attendants say yes, the Cabin LOSA observer will occupy a passenger seat (Cabin LOSA observers will never take a jumpseat from a commuting Flight Attendant), and the observers must receive a yes to observe the flight from every member of the crew. If one crew member objects, no observation will take place.
4. The Cabin LOSA observer will not interfere with crew duties. The observation is confidential, and the observer does not record the flight number, date of the observation, or any employee information.
5. Once the observation is over, there is no debrief – the observer will thank you for allowing them to observe and may offer you the opportunity to provide crew comments.

I’ve read a lot of opinions on the LOSA program – what are the facts?
This program will satisfy FAA requirements and protect Flight Attendants while meeting these requirements of the FAA:

• Cabin LOSA observations are voluntary to the crew being observed (unlike current check rides). Should any member of a crew decline to have their flight observed by a trained Cabin LOSA observer, the observers will not board the flight, and there are no negative repercussions.
• The LOSA program will be non-punitive and is not a check ride.
• The program is de-identified and confidential; the information gathered is purely safety-related. De-identified means names, employee numbers, and flight numbers will never be recorded by observers.
• Cabin LOSA Observers will be your peers, fellow Flight Attendants, and not members of management.
• Observers will never take a jumpseat from a commuter or non-revving Flight Attendant; jumpseaters will always have priority.
• Cabin LOSA observers will not interfere with the working crew and their duties.

Is LOSA a new program within the industry?

• LOSA is not new to American Airlines or the airline industry.
• American Airlines Pilots, in cooperation with the Allied Pilots Association (APA), have had their own LOSA observation program for over a decade.
• American Airlines Dispatchers, represented by PAFCA-AAL, have a LOSA program.
• Flight Attendants at United Airlines have a LOSA program. Alaska Airlines has recently begun a Cabin LOSA program.
• Flight LOSA has completed over 4,000 observations, and no Pilot has ever been identified to the company following an observation.

I have more questions. Whom may I contact?

If you have questions about this program, email [email protected], and we will direct you to our APFA Cabin LOSA Program Coordinator. Observations will begin in late October. Currently, we have 17 APFA selected Cabin LOSA observers.

In Solidarity,

Andrew Rhinehart
APFA National Safety & Security Chair
[email protected]