FAA: Longer Overnight Requirements for International Flying
 

Just thought it was interesting to read if you haven't already seen it:

U.S. to Impose Tougher Rules for Pilot Rest on Long Routes
By ANDY PASZTOR -- WSJ
NOVEMBER 14, 2008

Bucking opposition from U.S. airlines, federal regulators have issued rules aimed at reducing the hazards of pilot fatigue during the longest international flights.

After 18 months of debate between some airline officials and the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency intends to impose tougher crew-rest requirements and other safety measures on flights operated by AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. between the U.S. and India. Over time, the rules are designed to apply to all U.S. carriers flying so-called ultra-long-range flights, which can last 16 hours or longer.

The new rules mandate that pilots on the longest routes get at least 40 to 48 hours of rest after arriving, for example, in India from the East Coast of the U.S. Rules now require shorter rests.

Continental and American resisted mandating the longer rest periods. The carriers also objected to other special restrictions involving the training and qualifications of the pilots on board.

Airlines that keep pilots sitting idle for shorter periods at foreign destinations enjoy significant labor-cost savings. But pilot-union leaders and independent safety experts contend the result may be an erosion of safety margins if tired crews have to cope with unusual situations or in-flight emergencies.

The general operating rules issued by the agency recently -- as well as specific rules proposed for individual carriers -- basically track those Delta Airlines Inc. voluntarily agreed to in late 2006. Since then, American and Continental have balked at some elements and tried to persuade the FAA to change them.

Instead, the agency has opted to require enhanced rest periods even when only 10% of the flights on some routes exceed 16 hours.

An American spokesman said Friday that the airline was responding to the latest FAA rules and will have chances to protest some features, but he declined to elaborate or indicate if such moves are likely. Continental didn't have any immediate comment.

Current rules typically allow pilots to be scheduled behind the controls of passenger jets for no longer than eight hours in one workday. Additional pilots are assigned to long flights to relieve members of the crew. But when nonstop flights are scheduled for 16 hours or more, even four-person cockpit crews work beyond that traditional eight-hour limit. Total time on duty under some circumstances can exceed 20 consecutive hours.

According to the FAA, "the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and studies" indicate crew members can have "significant levels of fatigue" toward the end of such unusually long workdays. A document released by the FAA earlier this month reiterated that after an ultra-long range flight, "conservative safety policy" requires that pilots be able to rest for up to 48 hours.

The biggest change from the original rules the FAA negotiated with Delta is the agency's decision to require only one captain as part of a four-person cockpit crew, rather than two captains and two copilots as the FAA mandated in 2006. Both American and Continental argued that crews including a single captain turned out to be adequate throughout their years of flying long, nonstop routes over water or barren regions near the North Pole.

Soon after the FAA and Delta reached an accord on trans-Pacific flights sometimes lasting up to 18 hours, American and Continental sought to tilt the rules in their favor and eventually threatened to challenge the original rules. Later, according to pilots and others familiar with the detail, Delta complained that the FAA wasn't being aggressive enough to impose the same restrictions on rivals.
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This issue is one of those "damned if you do, and damned if you don't" areas. One of the reason a lot of senior pilots bid those longhaul trips is to get the maximum flying done in the least amount of days. Fly 90 hours in 9 days and enjoy the rest of the month off. Looks like the good deal may be over for them. Will be interesting to see how many bid off the longhaul if these new rest rules actually take effect. Adding three or more days to their schedules is not going to make life better for them. Then again, maybe a few more will decide to put in their papers since they'll have to "work" more for less...... ;) Certainly would be nice if they'd give us 48 layovers in SXM after the 3+20 flight down there from EWR..... ;-)

I think that has already happened at DAL to some extent. I'm told by friends some of the 777 types who are stuck with trips that have long layovers are bidding off.

Yep...the article repeated several times that Delta has been voluntarily abiding by these rules already.

Hence the 72 hours in BOM and such....

The FAA is a total loss. They get on stuff like this and yet allow pilots to be on-call 24 hours a day for international trips. Yet, domestic on-call pilots have to have defined rest periods.

Dolts.

Remember that Delta captain about ten years ago who landed an Asia-bound flight somewhere on the West Coast because he said his FO couldn't get required onboard rest using the Rube Goldberg cot contraption? That guy had some balls. Wonder if he got canned.

While he did have to explain himself to management, he was not disciplined in any way.

While the long layover in a crap place is not ideal, with work rules (like most other majors and good regionals) Continental guys could possibly the same days off and not have to slave so hard to do it.

I'm at one of the "good regionals". In fact, we just had to swallow a pay concession and our work rules were not even touched. But there is NOTHING what so ever in our CBA that dictates overnight rest requirements that is more restrictive than the FARs.

The only thing I ever saw was at my previous job, at the time it was one of the "best regionals". The CBA dictated that you couldn't do more than 10 hours duty after a RR overnight.

I was referring to min credit per day, trip rig, duty rig, etc. Talking about getting paid, not rest.