Narrative:

On the second leg of our trip, we were to fly from sju-phl. While boarding the flight, a passenger collapsed on the jetbridge. Paramedics were called to the gate. When they arrived, it was determined that she should not fly. Then, when the last passenger was boarding we were informed that she was claustrophobic. Right as they were closing the aircraft door the passenger decided she could not fly and had to have her deplaned. After these sits, we departed only 10 mins late. During the first beverage service, a teenage passenger traveling with his father had a seizure. Our #2 flight attendant attended to him. He seemed fine after the seizure but, during our meal service, he had 2 more seizures. We paged for a doctor but there was no response. After the #3 flight attendant spoke with the father, who spoke mostly spanish, it was determined that the father had over medicated his son due to a change of dosage by his doctor that day. The father misunderstood the dosage and gave the son 900 mg instead of 200 mg for the day. After the #1 flight attendant spoke with the physician on call, it was decided that we would land in txkf. We deplaned the father and son and, after refueling, we continued to phl. During the txkf-phl segment 2 passenger complained of medical sits. One with a very swollen leg that we elevated and iced. The other did not seem to have an actual problem and was determined to just be nervous from all of the sits that had occurred on this flight. He was comforted and he relaxed and was fine. When we arrived in phl, we had 5 wheelchair passenger, including one non-ambulatory passenger. Only 1 agent met the flight so the flight attendants assisted the agent in getting the passenger into the terminal area. The pilots were trying to get off of the aircraft as we were trying to get the passenger requiring assistance into their wheelchairs. I made the comment that I didn't know what their hurry was because they couldn't leave without us and we couldn't deplane until all of our passenger were off of the aircraft. When the flight attendants arrived at the hotel pick up point (which the paperwork shows 2 locations) we did not see a van. The #1 flight attendant called the hotel and found out that the pilots were just arriving at the hotel. We were told that the van would be sent back for us and it would be about 10 mins. I called crew tracking. I informed him of our situation and our illegality. Our original trip had very little room for delays to make the layover time legal. Crew tracking said to call when we arrived at the hotel for our new sign in time for the following day. When we arrived at the hotel, I called tracking and spoke with a woman. I told her that I had already spoken with company about our situation and, after a moment, she gave us our new sign in time. The flight attendants finished checking in and rushed to our rooms to get some sleep after our 16 hour day. After our emotionally and physically draining day, we did not even think to question the sign in time. We could barely stand, let alone think. We did know that we had a 12 hour day facing us the next day. We finally had a break after the meal service the next day and began writing our reports. We realized that we were not given our legal break the night before. When we pulled up a hard copy of our schedule, we found out that indeed we were sent out illegal that morning. Our legal break was supposed to be the minimum 10 hour rest break due to the over 14 1/2 hour day (ours was 16 hours). We received 8.27 on paper which equates to about 5 hours of sleep if you go to bed immediately. We arrived at the hotel around XA35 and by the time we arrived in our rooms it was XA50. My wake up call was at XF30. The minimum rest break should be automatically given. We should not have to fight for it. With all of the give backs that we have had to endure, we also have to endure inhumane and unfair treatment? A 16 hour day with no food provided, no sleep, or respect, and yet we perform our jobs with smiling faces and caring hearts. We took care of the many sits that occurred on this flight with professionalism and compassion.a minimum legal rest break is a minimum legal rest break. Crews are not always in the position to fight for it due to the fatigue we are now experiencing on many of our trips. We were on duty for 28 hours out of the 36 hours away from home. How can we be aware, vigilant, and doing the best job possible with long duty days and less than minimum rest breaks?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT ATTENDANT DESCRIBED A DIFFICULT FLT SEGMENT WHICH REQUIRED A DIVERSION DUE TO A MEDICAL EMER, AND RESULTED IN THE CABIN ATTENDANT CREW BEING SHORTED ON REST.

Narrative: ON THE SECOND LEG OF OUR TRIP, WE WERE TO FLY FROM SJU-PHL. WHILE BOARDING THE FLT, A PAX COLLAPSED ON THE JETBRIDGE. PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED TO THE GATE. WHEN THEY ARRIVED, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT SHE SHOULD NOT FLY. THEN, WHEN THE LAST PAX WAS BOARDING WE WERE INFORMED THAT SHE WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC. RIGHT AS THEY WERE CLOSING THE ACFT DOOR THE PAX DECIDED SHE COULD NOT FLY AND HAD TO HAVE HER DEPLANED. AFTER THESE SITS, WE DEPARTED ONLY 10 MINS LATE. DURING THE FIRST BEVERAGE SVC, A TEENAGE PAX TRAVELING WITH HIS FATHER HAD A SEIZURE. OUR #2 FLT ATTENDANT ATTENDED TO HIM. HE SEEMED FINE AFTER THE SEIZURE BUT, DURING OUR MEAL SVC, HE HAD 2 MORE SEIZURES. WE PAGED FOR A DOCTOR BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. AFTER THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT SPOKE WITH THE FATHER, WHO SPOKE MOSTLY SPANISH, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FATHER HAD OVER MEDICATED HIS SON DUE TO A CHANGE OF DOSAGE BY HIS DOCTOR THAT DAY. THE FATHER MISUNDERSTOOD THE DOSAGE AND GAVE THE SON 900 MG INSTEAD OF 200 MG FOR THE DAY. AFTER THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT SPOKE WITH THE PHYSICIAN ON CALL, IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE WOULD LAND IN TXKF. WE DEPLANED THE FATHER AND SON AND, AFTER REFUELING, WE CONTINUED TO PHL. DURING THE TXKF-PHL SEGMENT 2 PAX COMPLAINED OF MEDICAL SITS. ONE WITH A VERY SWOLLEN LEG THAT WE ELEVATED AND ICED. THE OTHER DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE AN ACTUAL PROB AND WAS DETERMINED TO JUST BE NERVOUS FROM ALL OF THE SITS THAT HAD OCCURRED ON THIS FLT. HE WAS COMFORTED AND HE RELAXED AND WAS FINE. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN PHL, WE HAD 5 WHEELCHAIR PAX, INCLUDING ONE NON-AMBULATORY PAX. ONLY 1 AGENT MET THE FLT SO THE FLT ATTENDANTS ASSISTED THE AGENT IN GETTING THE PAX INTO THE TERMINAL AREA. THE PLTS WERE TRYING TO GET OFF OF THE ACFT AS WE WERE TRYING TO GET THE PAX REQUIRING ASSISTANCE INTO THEIR WHEELCHAIRS. I MADE THE COMMENT THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEIR HURRY WAS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T LEAVE WITHOUT US AND WE COULDN'T DEPLANE UNTIL ALL OF OUR PAX WERE OFF OF THE ACFT. WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL PICK UP POINT (WHICH THE PAPERWORK SHOWS 2 LOCATIONS) WE DID NOT SEE A VAN. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE HOTEL AND FOUND OUT THAT THE PLTS WERE JUST ARRIVING AT THE HOTEL. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE VAN WOULD BE SENT BACK FOR US AND IT WOULD BE ABOUT 10 MINS. I CALLED CREW TRACKING. I INFORMED HIM OF OUR SIT AND OUR ILLEGALITY. OUR ORIGINAL TRIP HAD VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR DELAYS TO MAKE THE LAYOVER TIME LEGAL. CREW TRACKING SAID TO CALL WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL FOR OUR NEW SIGN IN TIME FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL, I CALLED TRACKING AND SPOKE WITH A WOMAN. I TOLD HER THAT I HAD ALREADY SPOKEN WITH COMPANY ABOUT OUR SIT AND, AFTER A MOMENT, SHE GAVE US OUR NEW SIGN IN TIME. THE FLT ATTENDANTS FINISHED CHKING IN AND RUSHED TO OUR ROOMS TO GET SOME SLEEP AFTER OUR 16 HR DAY. AFTER OUR EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY DRAINING DAY, WE DID NOT EVEN THINK TO QUESTION THE SIGN IN TIME. WE COULD BARELY STAND, LET ALONE THINK. WE DID KNOW THAT WE HAD A 12 HR DAY FACING US THE NEXT DAY. WE FINALLY HAD A BREAK AFTER THE MEAL SVC THE NEXT DAY AND BEGAN WRITING OUR RPTS. WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE NOT GIVEN OUR LEGAL BREAK THE NIGHT BEFORE. WHEN WE PULLED UP A HARD COPY OF OUR SCHEDULE, WE FOUND OUT THAT INDEED WE WERE SENT OUT ILLEGAL THAT MORNING. OUR LEGAL BREAK WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MINIMUM 10 HR REST BREAK DUE TO THE OVER 14 1/2 HR DAY (OURS WAS 16 HRS). WE RECEIVED 8.27 ON PAPER WHICH EQUATES TO ABOUT 5 HRS OF SLEEP IF YOU GO TO BED IMMEDIATELY. WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL AROUND XA35 AND BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED IN OUR ROOMS IT WAS XA50. MY WAKE UP CALL WAS AT XF30. THE MINIMUM REST BREAK SHOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY GIVEN. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT. WITH ALL OF THE GIVE BACKS THAT WE HAVE HAD TO ENDURE, WE ALSO HAVE TO ENDURE INHUMANE AND UNFAIR TREATMENT? A 16 HR DAY WITH NO FOOD PROVIDED, NO SLEEP, OR RESPECT, AND YET WE PERFORM OUR JOBS WITH SMILING FACES AND CARING HEARTS. WE TOOK CARE OF THE MANY SITS THAT OCCURRED ON THIS FLT WITH PROFESSIONALISM AND COMPASSION.A MINIMUM LEGAL REST BREAK IS A MINIMUM LEGAL REST BREAK. CREWS ARE NOT ALWAYS IN THE POS TO FIGHT FOR IT DUE TO THE FATIGUE WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING ON MANY OF OUR TRIPS. WE WERE ON DUTY FOR 28 HRS OUT OF THE 36 HRS AWAY FROM HOME. HOW CAN WE BE AWARE, VIGILANT, AND DOING THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE WITH LONG DUTY DAYS AND LESS THAN MINIMUM REST BREAKS?

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.