I was just wondering what you folks know about the new FAA reauthorization bill coming. Is it only going to allow 3 night hub turns? I seem to remember that you can do a 4th or 5th night hub turn if the layover is long enough. Is this true? How is it going to affect a commuter? Thankyou

 

You have asked the 10 million (or billion?) dollar question.

Sadly, I believe that money talks, and that the airlines have (successfully) lobbied to minimize any impact on their bottom line.

I think you will see FAA "approved" (read: rubber stamp) fatigue mitigation programs that will not result in much change.

I hope I am wrong, but we will know for sure in about 3 weeks.

 

Like I said before time after time. We have the best government that money can buy, SAD.

 

To get the extra night(s) for hub turning the rules have to be carefully crafted to manage it. The airline industry is fighting any restrictions or complications to their scheduling flexibility and don't want ANY night duty or rests to be heavily restricted.

I think the power players don't understand all the issues involved, are hopelessly corrupt or both.

My uneducated guess is week on/week off will soon be hard to find. The industry doesn't care. They're happy to see two or three days off either side of a 3-4 day "week" of flying. Passenger pilots don't see a problem with this because that's how they do it. But no one mentions how 7 to 7.5 hrs of pay a day during that time for a pax guy outclasses the cargo model and results in more days of work per month. That will kill many a cargo guy's week free of flying.

 

Aren't the FT/DT rules going to be issued separately from the reauthorization bill?

 

One workaround that I have heard thrown around is starting the hubturn week on Wed, and bringing back weekend layovers. You could do two or three hubturns, layover the weekend, and then do two or three more hubturns.

 

Sounds good...but doubtful.

Company's not going to go for having guys on the clock for more weekend layovers, paying more to do less. Shorter trips on that end in domicile, where we recover/rest on our own time, and do it more often each month.

Unfortunately, they like this model. It's more their style.

 

Govt mandates GPWS, companies pay for GPWS.

Govt mandates TCAS, companies pay for TCAS.

Govt mandates rest rules, PILOTS PAY FOR REST RULES????

We gotta get it out of our heads that we can, will, or should bear the cost of this. Cost of doing business just went up - either pass it to your consumer or reduce your margin. That is just how it is.

PIPE

 

Classic. Spot on.

 

I'll second that.