B777-200
Flight Attendant Current
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Human Factors; Aircraft
After waiting an hour for the pilots to decide if the dangerous goods cargo was good to be transported we pushed back and took off.About 40 minutes into the flight we lost generator power. I immediately called the flight crew to inform them that all the power in the galley went out and the overhead lights flickered in the entire cabin. They informed me that they had a problem with a generator and were about to diagnose the problem. The same problem repeated a few more times as we lost galley power and lights in the cabin. Later the cockpit informed the Purser that it was safe to continue the trip. I was concerned that we were over land and that I did not feel comfortable flying across the Atlantic with one broken generator. Another Flight Attendant called the cockpit to ask them how safe it was to continue. The cockpit was evasive and never said whether it was safe or not. It led us to think that continuing to fly over the Atlantic and gambling with our lives on this issue was not being cautious enough; especially since we were still over land at the time of the generator problem.Later; another Flight Attendant informed me that the pilots told him that we have seven of these generators and that only one failed. Nevertheless; it did not put me at ease to think that we were going to fly over the ocean even after raising concerns about the dangerous goods on board. Was the airplane safe enough to continue its voyage? It is not for me to say as I have no control over the issue but it sure raised concern as to problems that can be resolved over land and not while over the ocean. Failed generators should not be taken lightly when planning to fly over the Atlantic.
After one generator failed shortly after takeoff; the flight attendants aboard a B777-200 headed for an Atlantic crossing failed to have their concerns about the safety of continuing the flight properly addressed by the flight crew.