The Coffee Incident on Alaska Airlines

Victoria Waldron, a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines, has filed a lawsuit against Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the Western District of Washington for an incident involving coffee that occurred on April 1, 2024. She claims that about 30 minutes before the plane landed in Phoenix, the coffee machine in the galley "suddenly and without warning malfunctioned severely," exposing her to hot coffee, coffee grounds, and boiling water in a powerful explosion.

Painful Consequences

The incident caused severe burns to her chest and other parts of her body. At the time, Victoria was pregnant, which added to her immediate pain and anxiety—not just for herself but for her unborn child as well. The accident has left her with permanent scars, ongoing mental distress, and the need for continuous skin care, which may require surgery or cosmetic treatment in the future.

Reasons for the Lawsuit

She alleges that the packaging of Stumptown's coffee was unsafe and had design flaws, failing to meet standards suitable for use on an aircraft, and that Stumptown did not properly test this type of packaging. She claims that at least nine similar incidents had occurred prior to her case, and Stumptown had taken no corrective action while continuing to supply the same packaging.

Union Warnings

Two months before the accident, the union had issued a safety notice warning about the dangers of this coffee machine, stating that it was "spitting hot coffee and grounds" and suggesting that the packaging change from Stumptown might have contributed to the problem. Over the past few months, at least nine injury reports have been filed by flight attendants due to hot coffee and grounds from older B/E Aerospace coffee machines.

A Call for Urgent Action

This situation demands immediate attention, especially as the change in coffee packaging, which differs from the previous product, may have contributed to the issue. Management has begun investigating the root cause and has identified several potential solutions to address the problem.

Proposal to Cease Coffee Machine Use

Last week, the Safety, Health & Security Committee sent an official request to management to stop using B/E Aerospace coffee machines until protective measures can be implemented. While this may be inconvenient, leaving some planes without coffee machines, the committee believes that having multiple injured flight attendants while waiting for a long-term fix is unacceptable.

Management's Rejection

Unfortunately, management has rejected this request, knowing that it places the safety and health of both employees and passengers at risk just for a few extra cups of coffee. Alaska Airlines stated that the deployment of Stumptown was associated with very thorough testing of the coffee machine model; however, questions about accountability and safety remain.

Responsibility of Stakeholders

Interestingly, Alaska Airlines is not the defendant in this lawsuit. They had been informed of a recurring risk from at least nine previous injuries. The AFA stated that they had requested management to remove the older B/E coffee machines but were denied. Alaska has requested the use of Brew Shields, indicating that they are aware the older configuration is dangerous.

The Coffee Incident on Alaska Airlines