Heat in the Cabin- fix by NPRM or SMS???
Even though it’s only 2 days into the summer of 2025, the current heat wave, being experienced throughout America, adds some urgency to a valid issue being raised in the Phoenix ABC15 report below.
The FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION brought attention to unhealthy heat being experienced by boarded passengers in aircraft cabins. It is a valid warning that this phenomena poses SAFETY IMPACT to PASSENGERS.
The source of this story is Flight attendant Andrew Rhinehart[1], who serves as APFA’s National Safety & Security Chair, and in that position he is knowledgeable about passenger safety, risk mitigation and Safety Management Systems.
Rinehart and AFPA have argued that
Federal oversight and enforceable standards are critical to remedy this risk. APFA is urging the Department of Transportation and FAA to establish clear, enforceable temperature limits for aircraft cabins during boarding.
This approach reflects the traditional approach to establishing safety standards—filing a rulemaking petition; FAA opening a rulemaking docket; seeking inputs from experts; after multiple drafts (including revisions by the DOT and OMB), publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register which requests comments all interested parties (unions usually make compelling arguments), responding to the public input and issuing a final rule. THAT statutorily mandated (APA)process typically consumes years, even with an uncontroversial proposal.
[N.B. the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), which represents multiple airlines’ cabin professionals, take exactly the same position, plus –see FN[2]]
The glacier-like speed of the APA process, in response to an ABC 15 question. the FAA explained:
►“The Federal Aviation Administration entered into an agreement to work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (ASEM) to conduct a study on the health and safety impacts of cabin temperature. The final report is expected by May 2026, and we cannot comment on potential actions at this time.”◄
The union favored response to a legitimate issue is stuck in the past, contributes to delay and avoids involving the airline management. With a 2026 ASEM report, this track will see some standard no earlier than 2 to 3 years from now!!!
SMS, benefitting from real time reports systemwide, will create an immediate record of what risks exist for each airline. The data so harvested will bring an immediate substantial basis to react. A team including union representatives will be commissioned to design a solution that can be quickly implemented, probably years before a Federal Register could produce some solution.
FARs typically establish a one rule applicable to all airlines and all situations. The one-fix-fitting-all standard is difficult to apply. For example, an airline operates in one area with a temperature range of -30F to +80F and the second major concentration of flights from +65F to +80F. The ecosystems become even more complex when humidity, sun days, severe weather, etc. are included,
SMS allows the risk mitigation to be tailored to local conditions for each airline. Perhaps not due to SMS, here are examples of airlines, on their own, taking risk reduction actions:
- SOUTHWEST AIRLINES has launched a multi-million dollar initiative to combat heat hazards. After incidents like exploding beverage cans due to extreme temperatures, they:
- Purchased 60 refrigerated provisioning trucks for hot-weather hubs like Phoenix and Las Vegas.
- Use heat guns to monitor onboard temperatures.
- Provide roving cooling stations for ground crews
- JETBLUE AIRWAYS raised its cabin temperature threshold to 85°F before delaying boarding. Previously, it was 80°F.
- AMERICAN AIRLINES allows boarding to proceed until cabin temps hit 90°F, according to internal documents.
AFA and APFA should change their tactics to SMS. Perhaps, they do not trust management to treat the data submitted through this globally preferred regimen, BUT the FAA both receives the information and may participate in the safety risk analysis.
SMS has several significant advantages over rule-making;
- it permits each airline to design a solution which responds to its specific heat exposure profile;
- the data in each risk assessment is current and relevant—not some year old study from an aggregation of experiences, which may or may not have any bearing to all carriers.
- Yes, there may be different solutions, but the carriers may replicate another heat strategy.
- FOREMOST, the timeline from designing solutions to implementation will be drastically shorter than working through the NPRM process!!!
Too hot to board? Flight attendants call for federal standard for airplane cabin temperature
By: Jamie Warren Posted 10:24 AM, Jun 19, 2025 and last updated 10:39 AM, Jun 19, 2025
PHOENIX — Flight attendants are calling for federal oversight when it comes to cabin temperature while boarding airplanes.
In fact, two years ago, a federal investigation looked into why passengers were forced to wait on a plane in Las Vegas in 100º+ temperatures.
While cities like Phoenix and Tempe have passed ordinances protecting workers in the heat, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) says those ordinances don’t protect people on airplanes.
The APFA sent ABC15 a few of the reports fellow flight attendants have made this past year, describing extreme heat situations on flights.
One described the temperature being 90 degrees, writing, “Panic attacks by children, elderly suffered from extreme cabin heat, all passengers very agitated and uncomfortable.”
Flight attendant Andrew Rhinehart[3], who serves as APFA’s National Safety & Security Chair, says there are a number of factors that can result in an airplane heating up quickly while waiting on the tarmac. He says it’s not until you’re in the air that the air-conditioning fully kicks on.
“What we’re doing today is not enough,” said Rhinehart. “We have to realize that if it’s approaching dangerous temperatures, we have to stop and cool the aircraft. It’s not worth someone dying of heat exhaustion.”
The APFA says each airline has its own policy on what the temperature threshold should be, adding some have a threshold of 90 degrees.
ABC15 reached out to multiple major airlines about their policy and the union’s concerns, but has not heard back.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration sent ABC15 a statement that reads, “The Federal Aviation Administration entered into an agreement to work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (ASEM) to conduct a study on the health and safety impacts of cabin temperature. The final report is expected by May 2026, and we cannot comment on potential actions at this time.”
[1] His LinkedIn resume includes these skills: Regulatory Compliance, Safety Policy Development and Risk Management PLUS Labor Advocacy.
[2] “2Hot2Cold” campaign, encouraging flight attendants to report temperature extremes via a mobile app. The goal is to collect data to push for federal regulation.
[3] His LinkedIn resume includes these skills: Regulatory Compliance, Safety Policy Development and Risk Management PLUS Labor Advocacy.
