• American Airlines flight attendants were sent a union memo about leaving passengers on empty planes.
• The AFPA said cabin crew members should check lavatories and under seats for sleeping passengers.
• A union spokesperson said it "routinely" issued such reminders to members.

The union for American Airlines flight attendants has issued a memo reminding cabin crew not to leave sleeping passengers on board after flights land.

Aviation news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported that the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) recently warned members there had been an increase in such incidents.

"This communication serves as a reminder for flight attendants to complete required post-flight security checks to ensure all passengers have deplaned upon arrival," a spokesperson for APFA, which represents more than 28,000 American Airlines cabin crew members, told Business Insider.

They added that the union "routinely releases communications reminding flight attendants of the importance of conducting these checks."

Leaving a passenger on an empty plane is not only a security concern but can also violate safety rules that mandate a minimum number of flight attendants per passenger.

APFA's recent memo reminded cabin crew to "check lavatories, and make sure no passengers are sleeping in or under seats," Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported.

"These procedures are required to ensure that no passenger is ever left onboard," the memo continued. "This is a critical final check to confirm that no one has been overlooked, and this ensures that you and your crew aren't at risk of violating a [federal aviation regulation]."

The lead flight attendant is also supposed to perform a walk-through of the cabin as a final check, the memo reportedly said.

"Leaving passengers on the aircraft unattended is a significant safety and security concern and we appreciate everyone's shared efforts in ensuring this doesn't happen."

In 2019, an Air Canada passenger woke up alone on a cold and dark plane.

Tiffani O'Brien said she fell asleep on the 90-minute flight from Quebec City to Toronto and woke up hours later after the plane had been parked.

• A Swiss International Air Lines flight made an emergency landing last month.
• The Airbus A220's cabin was filled with smoke after encountering an engine problem.
• An autopsy said a flight attendant died due to hypoxic brain damage, Blick reported.

A 23-year-old Swiss International Air Lines flight attendant died due to a "severe lack of oxygen to the brain," according to an autopsy reported by Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper.

It comes after an incident on December 23, when Swiss Flight 1885 encountered engine problems, and the cabin was filled with smoke.

The Airbus A220 was flying from Bucharest, Romania, to Zurich when it made an emergency landing in Graz, Austria.

All 74 passengers and five crew members were evacuated, 17 of whom required medical attention, the airline said.

A week later, Swiss announced that one of the flight's cabin crew members died in the hospital in Graz.

"We are devastated at our dear colleague's death," said CEO Jens Fehlinger. "His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine."

Blick reported that the public prosecutor's office in Graz has launched an investigation into the flight attendant's death.

A spokesperson told the newspaper that a Friday autopsy found the provisional cause of death to be hypoxic brain damage and cerebral edema, meaning brain swelling.

"The brain was massively damaged by a severe lack of oxygen, and the young flight attendant died of it in the intensive care unit," the spokesperson told Blick.

"We are also looking into the role played by the respiratory mask that the flight attendant was wearing," he added.

The Graz public prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

Swiss said the investigation's initial findings point to a problem in one of the plane's Pratt & Whitney engines.

"We have no indication that the safety of the aircraft type is in question," it added.

• British Airways told customers on X it faced "baggage disruption" due to a fault at London Heathrow.
• Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport and the world's second-busiest for international flights.
• An aviation news site reported BA warned crews against checking bags due to the baggage system fault.

Some flight crews have been advised not to check bags amid a system fault at Europe's busiest airport, aviation news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported.

London Heathrow is also the world's second-busiest airport for international flights, behind Dubai, according to travel data provider OAG. On Wednesday, Heathrow announced that it's expecting its busiest-ever December after last month's 6.5 million passengers broke records for November travel.

Responding to customers who reported luggage troubles on Monday and Tuesday, British Airways' X account said the airline faced "baggage disruption" due to issues at Heathrow.

In another post, it said it was "unable to load a number of bags onto flights" on Monday "due to a fault with London Heathrow Airport's baggage system, which was out of our control."

PYOK reported that British Airways also told pilots and cabin crew not to check luggage due to the fault at Terminal 5.

It added that BA told crews the risk of reaching their destination without their bags was too high, and that they should pack essential uniform items and spare clothes in their carry-ons.

The report also said that, in an internal update on Tuesday, Heathrow Airport said that it was still working on "what can be done" to fix the fault.

Business Insider understands that as of Wednesday morning, British Airways passengers were no longer facing baggage issues.

British Airways did not comment when contacted by Business Insider. London Heathrow Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.