A former flight attendant has filed a NIS 140,000 lawsuit with the Tel Aviv Labor Court against Arkia Airlines Ltd. on the grounds that it does not pay flight attendants for work while on the ground. Shiri Segal was a flight attendant for nearly ten years.
Segal says that as a matter of policy, which is stipulated in labor contracts, Arkia pays flight attendants only for hours actually in the air. In other words, "from the moment that the plane is moving under its own power from the terminal to the takeoff point and until the engines are shut down after landing."
Segal claims that a large part of a flight attendant's work is spent on the ground, before and after a flight. This work includes, but is not limited to, accepting the planes and handing them over, checking the plane before embarkation and after disembarkation of passengers, examining emergency equipment, positioning seat belts, and preparing drink and food carts. She says that on international flights, she usually begins work at least two hours before takeoff and for two more hours after landing at the destination. Ground work in Israel on the return trip after landing is usually 1.5 hours, for a total of 5.5 hours for which no compensation is paid.
Segal says that Arkia also never paid her for the hours waiting for the return flight.
Arkia has not yet filed its statement of defense.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 7, 2008
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