ALPA's founders chose "Schedule with Safety" as our motto
The SIG/PSIT is Scheduling for OUR Safety !!
Support them in upholding the standard -- Don't fly disputed pairings!
Remind those who fly disputed pairs, either by force or by choice, to fill out a Critique Sheet on their experiences (or email/call the SIG) so they have some ammunition for the disputed pairs resolution process.
Links display a Trip Recap for each Disputed Pairing (Access to FedEx VIPS required to view) The one-line list of pairing numbers suitable for cut-n-paste into MagicWebFX (free & paid versions).
Disputed Pairings for November 2007
The following is the FedEx MEC’s definitive list of the pairings that are disputed for November 2007.
These pairings should not be available in any bid pack lines and
should not be assigned to any secondary lines without a specific request, by pairing number, from the crewmember to do so.
A-300 MEM:
47,99,139,158,262,480,564
#47: Disputed for mixing day with critical in same pairing.
#99: Disputed for four legs on a PM out and back. Transits three hub cities combined with the heaviest travel day of the year.
#139: Disputed for day-night-day with two 24-hour swaps embedded in this pairing.
#158: GDL, long trip combined with an unacceptably short layover.
#262: Flies in the critical for four days then swaps into day flying with a 22-hour layover. Poor circadian rhythm shift.
#480: Disputed for rolling sleep cycle.
#564: Disputed for unrealistic duty time of 11+27.
Trip 47 MEM 30 5Nov
Trip 99 MEM 30 20Nov
Trip 139 MEM 30 20Nov
Trip 158 MEM 30 5Nov
Trip 262 MEM 30 27Nov
Trip 480 MEM 30 20Nov
Trip 564 MEM 30 13Nov
MD11 ANC:
22,74,83,86,88,89
#22: Flying 3/4 of the way around the world to SFS before the only reset is much too late to be effective.
#74: Three body clock swaps in five days is excessive. No reset before the hard work.
#83,89:Multiple hub-turns and circadian shifts without a reset.
#86: After arriving in theater, two hub-turns without a reset. Then multiple hub-turns and body clock shifts after the only reset.
#88: A previous dispute for multiple long duties, body clock swaps and hub-turns before the reset.
Trip 22 ANC 11 2Dec
Trip 74 ANC 11 12Nov
Trip 83 ANC 11 26Nov
Trip 86 ANC 11 5Nov
Trip 88 ANC 11 5Nov
Trip 89 ANC 11 6Nov
MD11 LAX:
58,79
# 58: Disputed for the 5th duty period that contains 3 legs involving 4 high density airports. The sequence is ORD-JFK-ATL-DFW with a show time of 1450L and terminating at 0303L. Since the duty period begins in the day duty period the maximum duty time is 13 hours. It is currently scheduled for 12:13 of duty and we anticipated that the potential for exceeding the 13 hours of duty was high. Combining the long duty day, weather, and ATC saturation associated with these airports that this design is unnecessary.
# 79: A night out and back from ONT to MEM. With the the long night, and the commuting traffic associated for many of our crewmembers, this design was deemed onerous.
Trip 58 LAX 11 13Nov
Trip 79 LAX 11 6Nov
MD11 MEM:
10,110,118,714,2003,2010,2014,2091
Pairing 10:
This pairing is disputed for a number of reasons:
1. The rolling body clock after SFS, operating NIGHT-DAY-DAY-NIGHT into KIX to layover for KIX-MEM.
2. The layovers in KIX have been reduced consistently. A layover in KIX of 15:10 is in fact a rest period of no more than 12 hours if everything is perfect. This crew will arrive KIX tired. They will need to sleep immediately and most likely wake up 8-9 hours prior to the KIX-MEM leg. This is occurring at the end of a long pairing where cumulative sleep deficit and fatigue will be a factor.
3. We're concerned about service failures and would like to see layovers in KIX lengthened to provide the crew a chance for 2 sleep cycles if need be, to force a pilot to wake up in the middle of a sound rest period just to have the chance to sleep closer to alert time is not a good choice. Layovers should be minimum of 16 in the hotel; roughly an 18-19 hour layover should suffice.
Pairings 110, 714, 2010, 2014:
Flight 0005 has been historically scheduled CDG-STN-EWR with the use of a 3 man crew. On Saturdays, this flight is now scheduled to operate CDG-STN-MEM, which is a significant departure from past design and is being disputed based on the following reasons.
Flights from STN-MEM require a 3 man crew as a standalone flight, as it has been scheduled for a considerable time. The ALPA SIG believes that the use of an RFO and adding a leg may be legal but is not the intent of the regulation. There is no opportunity for rest on the first leg, only adding additional work and duty time. The amount of time elapsed from the alert call in CDG to the time the 3rd rest period occurs could be at least 9 hours. We request this flight return to the historical design of a single flight leg for STN-MEM.
Pairing 118:
It is imperative that crews look beyond the nice layovers in CDG and FRA. The PSIT disputes pairings for various reasons and this pairing is a good example of onerous design with an otherwise desirable layover format.
This pairing is disputed for the slingshot design. We feel it is necessary for the crew to get a full reset (32 hours minimum) at the slingshot point. Operating from CDG-DEL-PVG encompasses significant time change including a circadian swap after arriving PVG in the middle of the night. The layovers in CDG and FRA are excellent and much appreciated but that does not mitigate the onerous portion of the trip, 4 long flights (only one with an RFO) on a rolling body clock. We suggest keeping this type of pairing going in one direction or give adequate circadian adjustment during the difficult work periods.
Pairing 2003:
Slingshot design with no reset at the slingshot point, in fact after the reset in DEL, no reset after the slingshot all the way back westbound. We believe this design puts a crew in sleep deficit. We need to keep crew going in same direction with this type of layover design or, better yet, deadhead the RFO directly into ALA and avoid the slingshot by making ALA a longer layover since we are just positioning this pilot after reaching DEL.
Pairing 2091:
4 LONG duty periods and 2 of the longest legs in the system with 3 total ocean crossings before a reset is onerous and potentially fatiguing. The crew needs a reset in Asia, or no later than ANC. This RFO will not benefit from the reset; it occurs after all the hard work is done.
Trip 10 MEM 11 8Nov
Trip 110 MEM 11 29Nov
Trip 118 MEM 11 10Nov
Trip 714 MEM 11 6Nov
Trip 2003 MEM 11 7Nov
Trip 2010 MEM 11 29Nov
Trip 2014 MEM 11 8Nov
Trip 2014 MEM 11 15Nov
Trip 2014 MEM 11 22Nov
Trip 2091 MEM 11 20Nov
Web Critique Sheets
Please use the form on our website [FedEx ALPA], now available to all domiciles and dues-paying members: it gets to us without prior company review. Your input is the most valuable tool we have to solving scheduling issues. Another option is to directly E-mail the SIG or PSIT. The appropriate E-mail addresses are located after the PSIT member’s names in the following sections of the PSIT notes. This provides quick access to any SIG/PSIT member. Thanks to those who have written and provided invaluable information on pairings and lines.
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