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The Icelandic Cabin Crew Association was founded on December 30 1954. The founders were 15 flight attendants, employed by the two airlines operating in Iceland at that time. The flight attendants had seen the urgent need to obtain a collective agreement with the airlines, and to do so they had to establish an association.
At their first meeting, the association was given the name Flugfreyjufelag Islands ( FFI ), its constitution was conceded and the first board elected.
Beside the strict rules of employment, requiring the flight attendant to remain single, adhere to certain appearance, height and weight requirements, and to retire when reaching the 30 year age limit, there were quite a number of things they lacked. It was urgent to raise their salary, to limit duty and flight hours, to negotiate per diem or “flight allowance” and to improve the working environment.
Following are some milestones from the association’s past 50 years:
On January 7 1955, the first collective agreement between FFI and the two airlines was signed. This was the first major recognition for the young union.
1957 – FFI negotiates life insurance coverage for its members and FFI becomes a member of the Icelandic Labor Organization ( ASI ).
1960 FFI negotiates accident insurance coverage.
1964 – Flight attendants’ accident insurance changes to a 24-hour coverage.
1965 – FFI becomes eligible for membership of an accredited retirement fund.
1966 – New collective agreement stipulates the flight attendants’ right to paid vacation, to time-away allowance and to damaged/missing luggage insurance. A higher pay scale is introduced for senior flight attendants, and more restrictions are placed on flight- and duty time limitations.
1970 – FFI protests the mandatory retirement of flight attendants at the age of 35.
1973 – FFI negotiates a 16% pay increase, new pay scales, higher per diem, a three months’ maternity leave and considerable vacation benefits. On lay-overs, flight attendants are entitled to a single room with bath.
1989 – FFI negotiates that one pair of panty-hose pr. month be provided by the employer.
1992 – FFI sick-relief fund begins paying for cervical cancer screening tests in accordance with an agreement between FFI and the Icelandic Cancer Detection Centre.
1995 – FFI becomes the first Icelandic labor union to negotiate flexible retirement possibilites. Establishing a supplementary pension fund thus enables FFI members to retire earlier than at the legal retirement age in Iceland.
FFI becomes a member union of NTF – Nordic Transport Workers’ Federation.
2000 – FFI negotiates that employers pay the premium for a life insurance in the event of death from an illness.
FFI reaches an agreement with the Institute of Nursing Research, University of Iceland, to launch a comprehensive comparative study of three female working groups, cabin crews, nurses and teachers, in terms of occupational well-being.
2002 – FFI signs an agreement with the Skin Disease Centre Iceland – Húðlæknastöð - to carry out an extensive research on the incidence of skin cancer among cabin crew members.
Currently, FFI is representing 700 members; employed by Icelandair, Flugfelag Islands ( Air Iceland ), Islandsflug ( Bird Air ) and Iceland Express.