Narrative:

We were a cabin and cockpit crew, overworked and fatigued to the point of unsafe conditions. The cabin crew's duty time started at XX55. The day consisted of long flts of continuous service with no breaks all night long, including 10 min turns. As the night progressed, we became more tired due to bad WX over houston, our final destination. We circled over houston for approximately 45 mins. Then, because of intensity of storm and radar problems, we were forced to divert to austin, tx. We continued our service, answered questions and tended to passenger needs. By the time we landed in austin, we had had a long, hard strenuous night. We held on the ground in austin for 1 hour, 25 mins, answering passenger questions about possibly being put up for the night in austin. When we discovered there were no hotel rooms available for our 75 passenger and our crew, our captain decided to make another attempt for houston. We changed aircraft (one with a better radar) and persevered to houston again. This time we circled around the storms approximately 1 hour. The time we left austin at YY00 and west/O success--unable to land in houston. The passenger were irritably uneasy, hungry and tired from the strenuous night. We continued our service, reassuring the passenger and tending to their needs. This time we were diverted to dallas. My crew was exhausted due to excessive night fighting turbulence, comforting passenger and tending to their needs. Consequently we had 3 people who spoke no english whatsoever and a retarded teenager traveling by herself. She would scream on the takeoffs and lndgs and during the storms. We had to give special attention to these people. As we served, our hands were shaking with exhaustion, our minds fatigued from the intense night, with no breaks for a meal or from the passenger. On arrival in dallas, our captain requested the crew (cockpit and cabin) be replaced due to fatigue, mental and physical. I called our scheduling department. Scheduler quoted from our contract that we had to stay on the plane for 1 hour, then work another 1 hour flight to houston. I was shocked because we were at a crew base where they could replace us. We had been on duty at this point in excess of 14 intense hours, and they told us to work 2 more hours! I called scheduling back and told them that due to our exhaustion, fatigue, we could not function in any emergency and we must be replaced. Scheduling replaced us but my cabin crew has been unduly suspended for 7 working days, approximately 2 weeks of work, for making a decision for the safety of the passenger and our own. Our company in flight department has been unfair and unconcerned about our extensive fatigue and the safety of our passenger!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANTS ENDURED A LONG, TEDIOUS DAY AND NIGHT TO A POINT OF DECLARED EXHAUSTION. UPON REQUESTING CABIN CREW CHANGE AT HOME BASE, THEY WERE QUOTED THEIR CONTRACT REQUIRING THEM TO CONTINUE ON DUTY FOR ANOTHER FLT. REPORTER DECLARES THE CABIN CREW WERE UNFIT FOR DUTY AND INCAPABLE OF PERFORMING SAFELY IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.

Narrative: WE WERE A CABIN AND COCKPIT CREW, OVERWORKED AND FATIGUED TO THE POINT OF UNSAFE CONDITIONS. THE CABIN CREW'S DUTY TIME STARTED AT XX55. THE DAY CONSISTED OF LONG FLTS OF CONTINUOUS SVC WITH NO BREAKS ALL NIGHT LONG, INCLUDING 10 MIN TURNS. AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSED, WE BECAME MORE TIRED DUE TO BAD WX OVER HOUSTON, OUR FINAL DEST. WE CIRCLED OVER HOUSTON FOR APPROX 45 MINS. THEN, BECAUSE OF INTENSITY OF STORM AND RADAR PROBS, WE WERE FORCED TO DIVERT TO AUSTIN, TX. WE CONTINUED OUR SVC, ANSWERED QUESTIONS AND TENDED TO PAX NEEDS. BY THE TIME WE LANDED IN AUSTIN, WE HAD HAD A LONG, HARD STRENUOUS NIGHT. WE HELD ON THE GND IN AUSTIN FOR 1 HR, 25 MINS, ANSWERING PAX QUESTIONS ABOUT POSSIBLY BEING PUT UP FOR THE NIGHT IN AUSTIN. WHEN WE DISCOVERED THERE WERE NO HOTEL ROOMS AVAILABLE FOR OUR 75 PAX AND OUR CREW, OUR CAPT DECIDED TO MAKE ANOTHER ATTEMPT FOR HOUSTON. WE CHANGED ACFT (ONE WITH A BETTER RADAR) AND PERSEVERED TO HOUSTON AGAIN. THIS TIME WE CIRCLED AROUND THE STORMS APPROX 1 HR. THE TIME WE LEFT AUSTIN AT YY00 AND W/O SUCCESS--UNABLE TO LAND IN HOUSTON. THE PAX WERE IRRITABLY UNEASY, HUNGRY AND TIRED FROM THE STRENUOUS NIGHT. WE CONTINUED OUR SVC, REASSURING THE PAX AND TENDING TO THEIR NEEDS. THIS TIME WE WERE DIVERTED TO DALLAS. MY CREW WAS EXHAUSTED DUE TO EXCESSIVE NIGHT FIGHTING TURB, COMFORTING PAX AND TENDING TO THEIR NEEDS. CONSEQUENTLY WE HAD 3 PEOPLE WHO SPOKE NO ENGLISH WHATSOEVER AND A RETARDED TEENAGER TRAVELING BY HERSELF. SHE WOULD SCREAM ON THE TKOFS AND LNDGS AND DURING THE STORMS. WE HAD TO GIVE SPECIAL ATTN TO THESE PEOPLE. AS WE SERVED, OUR HANDS WERE SHAKING WITH EXHAUSTION, OUR MINDS FATIGUED FROM THE INTENSE NIGHT, WITH NO BREAKS FOR A MEAL OR FROM THE PAX. ON ARR IN DALLAS, OUR CAPT REQUESTED THE CREW (COCKPIT AND CABIN) BE REPLACED DUE TO FATIGUE, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL. I CALLED OUR SCHEDULING DEPT. SCHEDULER QUOTED FROM OUR CONTRACT THAT WE HAD TO STAY ON THE PLANE FOR 1 HR, THEN WORK ANOTHER 1 HR FLT TO HOUSTON. I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE WE WERE AT A CREW BASE WHERE THEY COULD REPLACE US. WE HAD BEEN ON DUTY AT THIS POINT IN EXCESS OF 14 INTENSE HRS, AND THEY TOLD US TO WORK 2 MORE HRS! I CALLED SCHEDULING BACK AND TOLD THEM THAT DUE TO OUR EXHAUSTION, FATIGUE, WE COULD NOT FUNCTION IN ANY EMER AND WE MUST BE REPLACED. SCHEDULING REPLACED US BUT MY CABIN CREW HAS BEEN UNDULY SUSPENDED FOR 7 WORKING DAYS, APPROX 2 WKS OF WORK, FOR MAKING A DECISION FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PAX AND OUR OWN. OUR COMPANY IN FLT DEPT HAS BEEN UNFAIR AND UNCONCERNED ABOUT OUR EXTENSIVE FATIGUE AND THE SAFETY OF OUR PAX!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.