Originally Posted by
OKLATEX
There are two problems with saying that our, FedEx, contract nearly meets the new rest rules.
First, believe it or not, we aren't the only cargo airline out there. All the others with lesser contracts got screwed with this.
Secondly, contracts come and go; the advantage of being covered with these rules is that they aren't contractual, they don't have to be negotiated, nor do you give up anything for them.
Furthermore, they can't be taken away during a concessionary contract. (I know all the UPS/FedEx guys say it can't happen to them, but it CAN happen, and I'll refer back to my first point, we aren't the only cargo airlines out there.)
True enough. You never know when an airline will shrink due to forces beyond your ability to anticipate. Next thing you know, you're working at a company with a contract that isn't anywhere near the new rules. If you think about the cut-out from a more detached point of view, rather than how it compares to your personal status quo, it's an abomination. The new rules recognize the special challenges of flying overnight and then exempt the very operations that are almost entirely overnight. It ain't right.
Why should anybody be required to work an overnight 16 hour duty day? Or six 16 hour days in a row for supplemental operations? Or unlimited duty, 12 flight hours between rest, international duty days? Obviously, within an airline, contractual issues can be addressed contractually. But the new rules should limit the worst allowable scenario. And they don't.