Narrative:

Air carrier is not qualified to operate large transport with less than 4 flight attendants. The flight attendant in charge had injured her knee on the way to work. This injury resulted in her limping, her knee being red, swollen, sore and stiff (as stated by herself). This flight attendant was unable to stand during boarding of flight, could not walk to aft of aircraft to perform her safety announcements, could not perform compliance check of carry-on baggage, could not perform cabin service and could not stand for deplaning. This flight attendant was prepared to remain in a passenger seat with an ice pack on her knee for the entire flight just as she had done for boarding. This flight attendant was informed that she must situation on the flight attendant jump seat for takeoff/landing. It was not until she was informed it was a violation of far 121.391 and that we needed that seat for a passenger that she moved. During flight, I began to think of the possibilities of an accident/incident and felt (along with another flight attendant) that this flight attendant was not able bodied. I expressed my concern and was told she would be replaced in lga. There were no available flight attendants in lga. The captain wanted to take flight on to bos and have the injured flight attendant replaced in bos. He asked my opinion and I told him I felt that safety was being compromised. He said we only had about 20 passenger. I said it didn't matter how many passenger, it was a safety problem, not a passenger (service) problem. He then made a derogatory remark about flight attendants (we are in contract negotiations) and walked away. I called to him to finish the conversation. He walked away. I called again. He continued to walk away. I then said the FAA should hear about this. Approximately PM30 I was informed flight to bos was cancelled. 4 days later the company called me into the office and suspended me without pay for 2 weeks. The reason being, 'questioning the captain's authority/authorized.' this particular captain has been involved in other safety violations. Prior to this incident he dropped the aft airstairs on an active taxiway to allow an employee to come on board. This caused another jet to stop short. He was removed from the payroll for only 3 days. I have been a flight attendant for yrs, an initial flight attendant training instructor. To me, safety is top priority! I feel the air carrier just wants to make money and will sacrifice safety for it. I also believe that the cabin crews and cockpit crews should be better trained in the art of crew resource management. I was not informed of this injury by the senior flight attendant until I walked to the forward cabin at departure time and saw her sitting in a passenger seat with an ice pack on her knee! Communication is very poor at the air carrier and I feel the lack of communication could be detrimental. Please assure my anonymity as I fear losing my job. I am being watched for any slip-up! This incident has made me very reluctant to converse with the cockpit crew about any safety matter. This was proven on aug/xx/93 flight when I was hesitant to inform the cockpit of smoke filling the cabin while on the taxiway in lga. I finally had another flight attendant call to tell them because I feared being reprimanded if no problem existed. There was a problem. We returned to the gate and cancelled the flight due to a mechanical problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT OF ANOTHER CABIN ATTENDANT BEHAVIOR PERSONAL INJURY THAT, AFTER A FLT TO LGA, CAUSED A FLT TO BE CANCELED ON ACCOUNT OF NO REPLACEMENT AVAILABLE.

Narrative: ACR IS NOT QUALIFIED TO OPERATE LGT WITH LESS THAN 4 FLT ATTENDANTS. THE FLT ATTENDANT IN CHARGE HAD INJURED HER KNEE ON THE WAY TO WORK. THIS INJURY RESULTED IN HER LIMPING, HER KNEE BEING RED, SWOLLEN, SORE AND STIFF (AS STATED BY HERSELF). THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS UNABLE TO STAND DURING BOARDING OF FLT, COULD NOT WALK TO AFT OF ACFT TO PERFORM HER SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENTS, COULD NOT PERFORM COMPLIANCE CHK OF CARRY-ON BAGGAGE, COULD NOT PERFORM CABIN SVC AND COULD NOT STAND FOR DEPLANING. THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS PREPARED TO REMAIN IN A PAX SEAT WITH AN ICE PACK ON HER KNEE FOR THE ENTIRE FLT JUST AS SHE HAD DONE FOR BOARDING. THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS INFORMED THAT SHE MUST SIT ON THE FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT FOR TKOF/LNDG. IT WAS NOT UNTIL SHE WAS INFORMED IT WAS A VIOLATION OF FAR 121.391 AND THAT WE NEEDED THAT SEAT FOR A PAX THAT SHE MOVED. DURING FLT, I BEGAN TO THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF AN ACCIDENT/INCIDENT AND FELT (ALONG WITH ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT) THAT THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS NOT ABLE BODIED. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN AND WAS TOLD SHE WOULD BE REPLACED IN LGA. THERE WERE NO AVAILABLE FLT ATTENDANTS IN LGA. THE CAPT WANTED TO TAKE FLT ON TO BOS AND HAVE THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT REPLACED IN BOS. HE ASKED MY OPINION AND I TOLD HIM I FELT THAT SAFETY WAS BEING COMPROMISED. HE SAID WE ONLY HAD ABOUT 20 PAX. I SAID IT DIDN'T MATTER HOW MANY PAX, IT WAS A SAFETY PROB, NOT A PAX (SVC) PROB. HE THEN MADE A DEROGATORY REMARK ABOUT FLT ATTENDANTS (WE ARE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS) AND WALKED AWAY. I CALLED TO HIM TO FINISH THE CONVERSATION. HE WALKED AWAY. I CALLED AGAIN. HE CONTINUED TO WALK AWAY. I THEN SAID THE FAA SHOULD HEAR ABOUT THIS. APPROX PM30 I WAS INFORMED FLT TO BOS WAS CANCELLED. 4 DAYS LATER THE COMPANY CALLED ME INTO THE OFFICE AND SUSPENDED ME WITHOUT PAY FOR 2 WKS. THE REASON BEING, 'QUESTIONING THE CAPT'S AUTH.' THIS PARTICULAR CAPT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN OTHER SAFETY VIOLATIONS. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT HE DROPPED THE AFT AIRSTAIRS ON AN ACTIVE TXWY TO ALLOW AN EMPLOYEE TO COME ON BOARD. THIS CAUSED ANOTHER JET TO STOP SHORT. HE WAS REMOVED FROM THE PAYROLL FOR ONLY 3 DAYS. I HAVE BEEN A FLT ATTENDANT FOR YRS, AN INITIAL FLT ATTENDANT TRAINING INSTRUCTOR. TO ME, SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY! I FEEL THE ACR JUST WANTS TO MAKE MONEY AND WILL SACRIFICE SAFETY FOR IT. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE CABIN CREWS AND COCKPIT CREWS SHOULD BE BETTER TRAINED IN THE ART OF CREW RESOURCE MGMNT. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS INJURY BY THE SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT UNTIL I WALKED TO THE FORWARD CABIN AT DEP TIME AND SAW HER SITTING IN A PAX SEAT WITH AN ICE PACK ON HER KNEE! COM IS VERY POOR AT THE ACR AND I FEEL THE LACK OF COM COULD BE DETRIMENTAL. PLEASE ASSURE MY ANONYMITY AS I FEAR LOSING MY JOB. I AM BEING WATCHED FOR ANY SLIP-UP! THIS INCIDENT HAS MADE ME VERY RELUCTANT TO CONVERSE WITH THE COCKPIT CREW ABOUT ANY SAFETY MATTER. THIS WAS PROVEN ON AUG/XX/93 FLT WHEN I WAS HESITANT TO INFORM THE COCKPIT OF SMOKE FILLING THE CABIN WHILE ON THE TXWY IN LGA. I FINALLY HAD ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT CALL TO TELL THEM BECAUSE I FEARED BEING REPRIMANDED IF NO PROB EXISTED. THERE WAS A PROB. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND CANCELLED THE FLT DUE TO A MECHANICAL PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.