CAAP: Airlines to Provide Crew Meals
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has issued an order requiring all airlines to provide adequate meals to their flight crews. Airlines will now be required to assume the cost of food for pilots, co-pilots, and cabin crew while on duty.
John Andrews, CAAP Deputy Director, expressed great concern over the alarming practice that airlines in the Philippines have been allowing cockpit crews to purchase their own individual meals out of their own pockets instead of being provided separate airline prepared meals. Andrews was alarmed by the lack of concern that local airlines demonstrate toward crews.
Andrews said that the current practice is a threat to cockpit and cabin crews who become exposed to possible food contamination which may impact job performance and could possibly result in incapacitation during flights. The concern is over obtaining meals from sources that may not observe appropriate sanitation guidelines. That prompted the CAAP to issue a notice to all carriers advising them to begin providing meals. "In the interest of safety, all carriers are hereby directed to provide adequate and separate kind of meals to their cockpit crew during their flight duties," Andrews said. The agency does not want to take any risks that food may affect job performance which requires crews to be alert and focused at all times in the interests of safety.
Andrews signed the order requiring the directive to become effective immediately after interviewing pilots of budget airlines. He also indicated that the pilot must be served a different meal from what is served to the co-pilot in order to comply with industry standards. This practice protects one of the pilots should one of them become affected by contaminated food. That would enable the other pilot to continue flying on to their destination where medical help will be available. Andrews noted that a "proper" crew meal would be "similar to the 3 square meals consumed by Filipinos."
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| Copyright Photo: Singapore Airlines |
John Andrews, CAAP Deputy Director, expressed great concern over the alarming practice that airlines in the Philippines have been allowing cockpit crews to purchase their own individual meals out of their own pockets instead of being provided separate airline prepared meals. Andrews was alarmed by the lack of concern that local airlines demonstrate toward crews.
Andrews said that the current practice is a threat to cockpit and cabin crews who become exposed to possible food contamination which may impact job performance and could possibly result in incapacitation during flights. The concern is over obtaining meals from sources that may not observe appropriate sanitation guidelines. That prompted the CAAP to issue a notice to all carriers advising them to begin providing meals. "In the interest of safety, all carriers are hereby directed to provide adequate and separate kind of meals to their cockpit crew during their flight duties," Andrews said. The agency does not want to take any risks that food may affect job performance which requires crews to be alert and focused at all times in the interests of safety.
Andrews signed the order requiring the directive to become effective immediately after interviewing pilots of budget airlines. He also indicated that the pilot must be served a different meal from what is served to the co-pilot in order to comply with industry standards. This practice protects one of the pilots should one of them become affected by contaminated food. That would enable the other pilot to continue flying on to their destination where medical help will be available. Andrews noted that a "proper" crew meal would be "similar to the 3 square meals consumed by Filipinos."
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