1982 AFA represents 22,000 flight attendants at 18 carriers. AFA prodding results in new FAA rules requiring floor-level exit lights, less flammable cabin interiors and other cabin safety breakthroughs. 1987 Years of pressure from AFA prompts FAA to issue a policy limiting number of passenger carry-on bags. Lobbying before Congress results in smoking ban on domestic flights of two hours or less. 1990 AFA petitions FAA to apply OSHA standards to flight attendants.
Smoking ban goes into effect on all domestic flights.
1991 AFA hosts first international flight attendant symposium, sharing ideas with flight attendants from Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, South Korea and Sweden. FAA issues duty-time regulations for flight attendants. Representing 36,000 flight attendants at 23 airlines, AFA celebrates its first half century of union achievements. 1996 AFA's aggressive pursuit of safety issues following the Everglades ValuJet crash provokes major changes at FAA, shifting the agency's focus to safety, and resulting in closer scrutiny of safety issues at start-up carriers. AFA membership tops 46,000 members at 26 airlines, residing in every U.S. state and many countries around the world.