As a way to ensure the safety of crew and passengers is not compromised a fatigue policy was instituted in 1998 by United Airlines.  We want to review the company policy on fatigue, how it may pertain to you, and the procedure to follow.  The full policy and subsequent company communication are available below.

Some important key points of United’s Fatigue Policy are:
The company policy on fatigue states, “Any Flight Attendant who claims to be too fatigued to fly will be removed from her/his schedule.  This will ensure that the safety of our passengers and crew is not compromised.  However, any Flight Attendant who claims to be too tired to work must give the company a reason for her/his fatigue.  The reason given will be used to determine whether the Flight Attendant’s removal from schedule is documented as excused or unexcused.” 

When a Flight Attendant invokes the Fatigue Policy they may be called upon to explain the reason why they were fatigued and may be required to visit a medical facility designated by the company.  The company policy on fatigue also includes examples of situations of excused fatigue and unexcused fatigue.  An excused absence for fatigue will not be used for disciplinary purposes.  An unexcused absence for fatigue will assess points and may, in and of itself or in conjunction with other incidents, be used in assessing discipline under the attendance policy.  The company has defined in their policy what would constitute an “excused” fatigue absence and “unexcused” fatigue absence.  Please review the company policy on fatigue and the company article Too Tired To Fly? Know the Rules article for more information about the policy.

For more information and to review the company fatigue policy please click the PDF documents below. 

Pre-Merger United Flight Attendant Fatigue Policy 

Too Tired To Fly? Know the Rules Article from Plane Talk March 1998 - Company Article