Read the comments following the article...very interesting take from both AA employees and frequent flyers.

Yeah interesting stuff from both sides Buzz.

On the second I was scheduled for a long 11:45 flight duty period. I started the day at 5:30 and according to the new charts that put me at a 12 hr FDP. After our first two flights our last flight was delayed. The delay would put us at 12:41 hr FDP. The company new before we landed our second flight that our FDP would be exceeded. AT NO POINT was I or the Captain called to give us a heads up. We had a 3:40 sit before out last flight. The new rules say we cannot be SCHEDULED into a flight that breaks our FDP. When I called scheduling and was thrown from scheduling to crew tracking to the CPSC they said no flags came up at all. It seems their system is already programmed to show the 2 hr extension availability automatically and that is why were not flagged. Although you can be extended with the agreement between PIC and company, the COMPANY MUST report it to the FAA. I have not been contacted yet and don't know if I need to be for the FAA report.

My point is that had we not been proactive we would not have realized we could have called in fatigued much before the departure of the last flight. The LATT on the paperwork shows both the non extended and extended times for Last available take off time. We both agreed to take the extension as we didn't feel fatigued, but we did end up having a somewhat trying landing in bad weather so please be careful out there everyone and remember the new rules were set up to be SAFE.

I called ALPA yesterday about it and have yet to hear back. I did call late though.

Make sure you write an ASAP report on that! They can sweep a lot of stuff under the rug, but everyone has to see the ASAP.

Isn't the company stance that when you sign the release you are agreeing to an extension? And then at some point if you don't want the extension, you have to contact dispatch?

... and that is ALPA's concern. The system is "fail - negative" where the pilot must call to report an inability to fly a FDP extension rather than a more sensical approach where the FDP extension is an exception.

Late last year I had a 9:22 overnight with no van for pick up, then no rooms available, then a room between the elevator, ice machine and a large group who would leave their room to smoke, then beat on the door (12 inches from my door) to be let back in to the party. At 22:00 I asked if they might get an extra key. I called the duty pilot at 02:00 advising there might be an issue the following day. At 03:00 I asked when they might stop beating on the door and was told "when those stoned SOB's get up and let me in."

Frankly, the Company really does not know what it is like to "keep your backpack on" almost 200 days a year. A default FDP extension is a bad idea. Further if the Captain wasn't both an excellent pilot and well rested I would have stopped the operation the following morning with a fatigue call.

It seems like they think that non rev seats will be awarded by check-in time instead of seniority. Is that true?

I think it is, but I agree with Bar. How can you tell when you sign that you will agree to an extension? The company hopes that some of the people will be deterred from taking a positive step to stop the auto-extension, because they'll be averse to playing the fatigue card.

In reality, an auto-extension is not an extension at all, but a longer scheduled day that bypasses the intent of the rule.

The safe way would be to call the participants approaching a previously unforeseen extension, and get everyone's buy-in.

By the way, it's preposterous that we both have to sign the release to say we're good to go, but the language on good-to-continue is all about the PIC. If an F/O doesn't agree, he/she has to essentially disagree with the Captain, and again, play the fatigue card.

The whole process seems intellectually dishonest to me.

Yes, yes it is. That is how American does it. Non rev is based on check in time, up to 12 hours prior, jumpseat is by seniority, up to departure.

The union was in the JFK lounge yesterday doing a presentation on this. Didn't catch the whole thing, but from what I understand, that is the company's take. By signing the release, we both agree to the extension. If the captain subsequently disagrees, he has to let the dispatcher know. If the FO subsequently disagrees, they need to call in fatigued. The union disagrees with this interpretation.