0152 Cabin Crew Alertness and Performance During Long-haul Flights

Abstract Introduction Sleep loss and circadian disruption pose a significant risk in aviation. Previous literature has shown that inflight rest facilities influence alertness and performance among pilots, but few studies have evaluated cabin crew. The aim of this research was to assess alertness and performance among cabin crewmembers sleeping in different rest locations during a long-haul out-and-back trip. Methods Twenty-nine (5 male) cabin crewmembers (Mage = 30.61, SD = 2.91) flew the same long-haul route (outbound and inbound) with an average flight duration of 10:41 (± 0:14) hours. Participants were randomly assigned to fly on an aircraft with a bunk in both directions or to fly an aircraft with a bunk in one direction and with a high comfort jump seat (HCJS) in the other direction. Throughout the study, they wore an Actiwatch and completed a sleep diary at bedtime and upon waking. They completed a Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and a 5-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) at the beginning and at the end of each flight. Seventy-seven percent of flights had a bunk and 23% had a HCJS. A series of mixed-effects models were performed to assess the changes in KSS and PVT when crewmembers slept in the bunk during both directions of flight (bunk-only) compared to when sleep was obtained in the HCJS during one direction and bunk in the other (bunk + HCJS). Results Fifty-seven flights were included in the analyses. Cabin crewmembers who slept in bunk-only reported higher alertness at the end of the flight (b = 0.54, SE = 0.17, p = .002, Hedges’ g = -0.52) and had faster PVT response speed (b = 0.69, SE = 0.12, p .001, Hedges’ g = 0.18) compared to bunk + HCJS. There were no significant differences in PVT lapses (p = 0.52). Conclusion Our results showed that cabin crewmembers reported greater alertness and performed better when they used the bunk-only. Further research is needed to understand how other factors such as duty start time and workload might influence the sleep of cabin crewmembers during long-haul flights. Support (if any) NASA Airspace Operations and Safety Program, System-Wide Safety Project.