B767-300 and 300 ER
Flight Attendant Current
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Procedure
During my preflight briefing with the captain; we reviewed the use of the seat belt sign while inflight. This was of particular importance since turbulence was also forecasted enroute. I asked the captain about his particular use of the seatbelt sign. He stated that he would probably leave it on for the entire flight. I told him this was certainly his call being the PIC; but suggested leaving the sign on unnecessarily could place FAs in jeopardy. He responded with; '...really?' I reminded him the fasten seatbelt sign is usually our first indication of pending turbulence. If the sign is continuously on; then we are unable to take advantage of the advanced warning. I also reminded him about FAR 121.311; and the implications related to disregard of a lighted passenger sign. His response; 'I really don't like turning it on/off during a long flight; particularly at night.' Again; I totally understood it was his call; but wanted him to be aware of my concerns. The entire conversation was positive and professional; and he appeared genuinely open to hearing my concerns. Please also reference my previous report; there are similar threads related to this topic. No further discussion regarding this topic occurred for the remainder of the flight. Interesting enough; the sign was used (as needed) during our flight. There were several times that it was cycled on/off; particularly due to pending turbulence. In fact; I thanked him after our flight. The purpose of this report is for track/trending; and to be forwarded to appropriate departments.In this particular event; I encountered a little more resistance regarding my concerns. However; it's also important to note the captain seemed very willing to consider my point and changed his initial approach. I genuinely feel my conversation educated him further about the risks related to leaving the sign on. It appears that some captains simply don't understand the full implications of unnecessary use of the FSB sign during flight (particularly flights over six hours and at night).
B767 Flight Attendant reported having a conversation with the Captain regarding the use of the fasten seatbelt sign throughout the entire flight.