Flight attendants applaud working group assessing security of commercial communication on board aircraft

WASHINGTON, 5 Feb. 2016. U.S. aviation and communication regulators will work together to ensure safe and secure communications on board commercial aircraft, according to members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA).

AFA members have “worked diligently for two years to bring direct stakeholders, from intelligence to military to private, together to assess potential vulnerabilities of expanded technology onboard the airplane,” officials say. AFA's "Never Forget" legislative and regulatory campaign, launched in 2014, stresses coordinated agency and stakeholder communication as a key component of aviation security.

"AFA is in support of advanced technology and continued innovation in aviation," says AFA International President Sara Nelson. "Due diligence is required in order to avoid the failures of pre 9/11. Assessing vulnerabilities and mitigation factors is a small investment for the protection of millions of lives traveling in our skies every day."

The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission will co-chair the Working Group, with participation from law enforcement, intelligence, defense, national, and homeland security agencies. AFA-CWA plans to assist the Working Group on these critical aviation security issues.

"All of us are responsible for the duty of care for all passengers and crewmembers," Nelson concluded.