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Flight crews and attendants across Europe's aviation sector are facing mounting pressure to endure long shifts and conceal tiredness indicators, jeopardizing security measures, as per an extensive investigation.

Gradual Erosion of Security Protocols

Cost reduction and profit maximization strategies by carriers have “gradually eroded” safety measures, with numerous fatigued staff feeling too intimidated to challenge executive choices, the research revealed.

This investigation, including 6,900 participants, also highlighted worries among cabin crew who expressed being pressured to prioritize in-flight sales of fragrances and drinks, creating a conflict with their primary role of protecting traveler security.

COVID-19 Consequences

The report indicated that the coronavirus crisis had accelerated a deterioration in working conditions.

Researchers stated that a cohort of experienced aviators had exited aviation, replaced by less experienced, more affordable and flexible employees who were inclined to take on insecure agreements that weaken their ability to maintain standards.

Employee Confidence in Decline

When asked about their assurance in pushing back against decisions that seemed potentially unsafe, more than half of respondents stated they did not feel able to “modify instructions” from supervisors based on security concerns.

These findings indicated a decline since a prior investigation, which found a large majority of aviators felt able to adjust directives.

About one-third of pilots confessed they were sometimes reluctant to take security actions out of fear of adverse career impacts.

Role Conflict and Mental Pressure

“The shift toward in-flight sales duties threatens weakening the safety-centric nature of flight attendant roles, creating divided loyalties, psychosocial strain, and legal ambiguities,” researchers stated.

“While commercial pressures may render these approaches attractive for airlines, they come at a cost to employee health, security protocols and professional integrity.”

Safety Layers Weakened

Respondents in the research referred to a “Swiss cheese model”, with protective barriers being “gradually eroded (creating gaps) for economic motives, leaving the final barrier to incidents dependent on luck and luck rather than robust protection”.

Low-Cost Dominance

With the increasing prevalence of budget airlines, and a rebound in flight volumes after the pandemic, staff are facing demands to work longer shifts, with fewer opportunities to recover.

As a result, nearly half of all crew say leadership prioritizes rostering over security, the study authors found.

Exhaustion Issues

Tiredness is a persistent problem, with workers often feeling they cannot ask for rest even when they are exhausted or ill.

Almost a third of pilots and approximately 50% of cabin crew admitted they sometimes hesitate to declare themselves unfit to fly.

Confidential Accounts

Crew were asked for their views, which were provided confidentially. One said: “I feel like a criminal just for being sick.” A different account mentioned their European base manager shouting: “Your main job is to generate sales.”

Others complained of not feeling valued. An individual noted their employer “views me as just a statistic and nothing else. They show no consideration for mental wellbeing or bodily wellness. They take pride in revenue above employee welfare. It has a negative organizational environment and a atmosphere of intimidation. This apprehension stems from the amount of individuals they sack for trivial causes.”

Mental Health Concern

Upon inquiry about their health, and whether they believed airlines cared about their personal goals and health, over two-thirds of all crew scored under the healthy benchmark for psychological welfare, while nearly four-fifths described themselves as “treated as objects”.

Atypical Employment

The research identified atypical employment, such as temporary or freelance agreements, or third-party employment as instead of permanent positions by the airline, was a concern because these workers reported poorer circumstances and reduced measures of wellbeing.

Junior employees and those working in Polish, the Czech Republic, Hungarian and other East European countries were inclined to occupy atypical positions compared to senior staff.

Among the under-21s, nearly half were in atypical employment, while 52% of eastern Europeans were on temporary agreements.

Work Intensity Increase

The demands of employment had increased relative to a decade ago due to digitalisation, mechanization and higher passenger volumes, allowing reduced opportunity for staff to execute their duties efficiently, the authors explained.

Management by Fear

“A concerning trend is the increasing use of ‘management by fear,’ where welfare is not explicitly linked to security results,” the researchers claim. “Atypical work hasn’t disappeared, and the dangers it created a decade ago are now experienced across the whole sector.”

Sector Alerts

The authors said that, without improvements to rules and agreements, the continent's airline sector faced the danger of losing its “safety edge”.

“Employment terms are not merely just a societal concern – they have an effect on security, welfare and fatigue that are all interrelated. Without equitable and secure jobs, we cannot sustain a secure and resilient European aviation sector,” noted one researcher.

Another industry representative cautioned: “The competition for lowest costs on agreements now affects all aviators – and when crew face stress, travelers experience the danger, too. These abuses demand immediate scrutiny.”