FAA doesn't care what you do during rest
They shouldn't, but they should care that we are actually able to rest. Obviously they can't force us to sleep, but we all need sleep at some time, and the regs should state that we get at least 8 hours with appropriate sleeping facilities.
Standing up waiting 45 minutes for an airport van is just unacceptable to me. At a bare minimum, the airline should determine the average time it takes the van to get you to the hotel at various times during the day, and use that to calculate when rest starts. Doesn't seem too complex to me.
they'll be ready for an on-time and not inconvenience pax
I'm not yet flying for a living, but when did passenger convenience supersede flight safety? I don't see myself doing that. If the NTSB finds out that you reported without enough rest, I doubt passenger convenience will be a good enough answer.
I don't know of any airlines that require you to live any sort of timeframe from the airport, other than for reserve reporting purposes.
How does reserve work then? Say you live in MIA, and you're base is JFK? Do you have to check in at the crew hotel the night before? Seems wasteful, especially if you don't get called.
I realize that posting on this forum won't change the FAR's, but I'd like to know why pilots have allowed themselves to be taken advantage of, with the obvious risks to flight safety? Maybe somebody will read this post and bring it up at the next ALPA meeting?
Last edited by Senior Skipper; 02-07-2008 at 07:11 PM.