A330
Flight Attendant Current
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure; Physiological - Other
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Evacuated; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Aircraft; Human Factors; Company Policy
When we got to the gate the plane was late inbound. When we got on the plane the agent wanted to board right away. I checked with the Captain and he said we had mechanics on board. The mechanics said not to board. The agent boarded anyway. We had lots of issues with this plane. Inflight Entertainment (IFE) did not work a latch in the back was totally gone and some cockpit issues plus the APU did not work so it was very hot on the plane. We closed the 2L and armed our doors. Then the Captain said the mechanics needed to get back on so we disarmed all doors. We reopened the 2L door to let the mechanics back on for an issue in the cockpit. I was in the 1L lav when I smelled a burning electrical odor. Before I could open the door (about 2 seconds) the lav was full of smoke. I heard someone say smoke in the cockpit; smoke in the cockpit. When I looked to the right I could not see past row 2 because of the whitish yellowish smoke. The smoke was burning my eyes and throat. I turned to my left to tell the Captain (I could not get to the cockpit because 2 mechanics and an agent were in the door) when I heard evacuate over the P.A. The Business class passengers were already up and moving to the 2L door. The D FA and I got our passengers out the 2L door and helped with the flow of passengers while yelling our commands. I was at the door with the E and we had the passengers going out side by side for faster flow. The F started to stop passengers and take their bags from them I said let them go it's faster. You need to go to your exit; she did not go. I saw a lot of passengers with their roll-aboards. Then I heard over the PA; stop the evacuation. I turned and ran to the cockpit (the D is arriving at the same time). I tell the Captain that the passengers cannot breath and the smoke is thick. I get on the PA and say continue the evacuation. The Captain says someone has blown a slide and for me to go back and see where it is. I run to the back down the aircraft left aisle. About 30 passengers are left on the plane and they are trying to get their luggage out of the overhead bins even though we are yelling get out leave everything. I see the 3L door is open with no slide and a passenger and her 2 children are looking out the door (3L) and trying to decide if they should jump. I point and tell them to go to the boarding door and I put the strap across the door. I can see 3R is open with a slide inflated and the G is with passengers at that door. 4L and 4R have slides inflated and the C and B are with their respective door. I tell the FA's to check the cabin and lavs behind me and make sure everyone is off and for them to get off the plane. I tell the Captain that we have 3 slides inflated and all the passengers are off. The firemen board at this time and they want all crew off except the A and the cockpit. The FAs get off onto the jetway and the F tells them not to go to the gate area because the company will not pay you if you get off the plane. I tell them to go to the gate area now. I ask if everyone is ok. The K says she needs oxygen and I put her on oxygen from the plane. I get her to the gate area and get her bags for her and then I go back and talk to the firemen. They send us all to the gate area and the paramedics check everyone out. One FA has high blood pressure and another has asthma problems. We are all coughing and have burning itchy eyes. I am on the phone with the company most of the time that we are in the gate area. About 4 hours I am told. I check on my crew and I am working to get us transportation to the hospital then to the hotel. The agent is a tremendous help with a bus; paramedics extra. I check on a few passengers that are in the gate area. We go to the hospital and we are there about 5 hours or so getting blood work. We have no chairs to sit on and end up on the floor. They take the K first because she has Lupus and then checkout the C with the high blood pressure and then the F then the rest of us. [The] agent puts drinks and food on her own credit card because we have not had anything since we left the hotel. We get back to the hotel. We get to our rooms and meet back in 45 minutes to eat and see if we have been released from duty yet. The Captain tells us [someone] might want to talk to us and not to have any alcohol because we are not released from duty yet. When I meet back in the restaurant a few of the FAs are having a drink. I said the Captain and I have told you not to drink. I was told they can do what they want after such a hard day. Long argument and they continued to drink. The Captain came in and told them the same thing and again they refused to listen. I am going to the front desk for phone calls because I do not have international calling and my battery is low. The F keeps taking the phone from me to talk to [the company]. I am having to argue with her to get my phone calls. She wanted to be in charge and that really made my job harder and I missed some important information. No one in the company seemed to know that I was A FA. I finally [had a meeting about the event] in the hotel. Just gave him the basics about what I saw. At midnight I went back to the restaurant and had a few bites of my cold food. I tried to get the FAs to tell me what flight they wanted to take home. All I got was argument. I told them they could go when they felt comfortable to leave. I was trying to set up their flights home. The [investigators] wanted to talk to the ones that had deployed the slides so they had to stay. I chose the first flight the next day. Six of us went on the early flight. We were listed as non-revenue instead of deadheading so the agent would not give us a boarding card because we did not check in 24 hours ahead. More stress. Finally get our seats and get on the plane home.The pressure to board has gotten ridiculous and unsafe. Getting the plane off the gate at all cost is not safe. Boarding and on time is more important than safety. We have to have the entire crew briefings back. Our CRM is so important. Most briefings from the cockpit (sometimes not the Captain) consist of air time and maybe a weather report. The biggest issue for this flight was pressure to board and get off the gate.
I was standing in the galley between 2L & 2R. Flight Attendant (FA) said; 'Smoke!' Suddenly noticed smoke at the ceiling near 2R. I looked down the aisle and smoke filled the cabin in less than 3 seconds. FA 'H' was standing near 2R. I said; 'We have to call the Captain and evacuate!' I reached for the phone at 2R. I called the Captain and there was no answer. I pressed the PA button and announced; 'Evacuate; Evacuate!' The smoke was still there and there was a smell of an electrical fire. We proceeded to evacuate. The Captain came on over the PA and said; 'Stop the evacuation.' I'm not sure at this point if I got back on the PA or just said out loud; 'We need to keep evacuating!' The Captain did not see the smoke or smell the fumes so I just kept on evacuating. I think at some point I did hear the Captain come back on and say; 'Evacuate!' We continued the evacuation until all the passengers were off.This might be a lesson that if the mechanics are on and say; 'We are not ready to board'; perhaps the Operations Manager; should respect that and not board until they are ready. I remember she and I had a bit of a disagreement about the boarding. She pressured the front mechanic to board until he finally said yes. The mechanic in the back did not want to board. I clearly told her that and she said; 'I will deal with that later.' I'm not sure if that would have made a difference in the event but it did seem rushed to board them and then the passengers sat on the airplane another hour until we actually closed the door the first time.
A330 flight attendants reported an aircraft evacuation at the gate due to heavy smoke in the passenger cabin.