Flight Attendant Current
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Human Factors
This report again raises awareness about the consistent misuse of the seat belt sign by a significant number of flight deck crews (mainly Captains). On the past five flights; Captains have insisted upon leaving the seat belt sign on for the entire flight. Some are so brazen they make an announcement prior to take-off advising the sign will be left on for the entire flight! Keep in mind; flying times range between 6.5 to 9.5 hours. On past flights; I have attempted to employ/educate using CRM strategies with some Captains in order to understand their reasoning behind their actions of keeping the sign on. Most express concerns about liability related to passenger injury due to unexpected severe turbulence. Others state they are doing flight attendants a favor by not cycling the sign off during late night flights - minimizing need for compliance checks. I'm deeply concerned the negative safety culture this type of behavior is creating -- a dangerous risk for passengers and crew. It encourages passengers to disobey the sign while fostering complacency among flight attendants. For example; during my last flight; FAs stopped enforcing the requirement for passengers to be buckled due to the sign being constantly on and lack of turbulence. Their reasoning (understandable); belts were unnecessary due to the smooth ride. At one point; I counted at least 15 passengers in the aisle while the sign was on. This occurred about seven hours into the flight; following the breakfast service. Clearly a violation of 121.311 and portions of 121.571. I witnessed this more often on long range flights.
Air carrier Flight Attendant expressed concern in regard to the overuse of the seat belt.