International Cabin Crew Day: An open letter by the chair of the cabin crew committee of the ITF

May 31, 2021

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

My name is Sean Beatty and I am chair of the cabin crew committee of the ITF, representing some 160,000 cabin crew throughout the world.

I want to welcome you and thank you for your participation in this year’s International Cabin Crew Day. A day that formally recognises and puts front and centre our roles onboard aircraft as safety professionals.

This year’s International Cabin Crew day is focusing on four keys areas:

  • Priority vaccination for aviation workers
  • Recertification
  • Disruptive passengers
  • Mental health

This last year has been without parallel in the history of aviation. Our industry, global in nature, has been one of the hardest hit by this global disease.

Throughout the last year the ITF, its affiliates and cabin crew across the world have been seeking to protect jobs, protect their own health and safety and protect the safety of customers.

Sadly, this professionalism and commitment have not often been matched by unscrupulous employers who have used the cover of COVID-19 to drive down terms and conditions, aided in many cases by unsupportive governments, who have not seen aviation as the priority it is in connecting the world.

The harsh reality is that we have lost tens of thousands of jobs and many of those jobs will not return. We have seen many colleagues, past and present, using their professional skills to support health services throughout the world in vaccinating the planet, a key component in accelerating the path to normality.

Through this adversity will come, renewal, regrowth and a reinvigorated aviation industry. It will take hard work, resilience and tenacity and when I see the extraordinary lengths cabin crew and Aviation workers have gone through in the last year, I am confident that we can rebuild aviation.

From all of us at the ITF and from me personally, thank you for everything you do each and every day.

As always, safe flying, today, tomorrow and every day you set foot on an aircraft.

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