Crew Bunk - Fight's ON!
 

With the recent announcement of SLC-NRT being serviced by an A330, a few things have happened.

1. NW has started the process of "certifying the A330-200 for higher gross weights"

2. The pilot rest facility problem is "being looked at"

I have stated in other threads on the forum that management will be asking
for a "concession" on crew bunks if the A330 ever had to fly a leg over 12 hours requiring a 4 pilot crew. I believe that time is near, because the A330-200 at present holds 243 with a business class split between A zone and B zone (thats forward and aft of doors 2L and 2R). Management will NOT want to remove any biz class seats to accomodate an additional bunk or a larger bunk room. I don't believe it is possible to shoehorn a second bunk into the existing room... which leaves us with... management putting one of the pilots in the FA crew rest bunks beneath the floor at doors 3.

Now would be an excellent time to nip this in the bud and start contacting your MEC/LEC reps and telling them NO Way we are flying this without a usable dual pilot bunk facility

Just my opinion.

The plan is to use the existing bunk room by taking out the jumseat and the rest seat and installing two fixed bunks, one on top of the other. This is the way the rest area is for the A340 etc. Not comfortable but legal.

That's how it is on the 4-pilot DAL 767ER as well- two fixed bunks- upper and lower- and a super-tiny standing/changing space at the foot of those.

Soup

So, when you're not in the bunk or flying, do you have a business class seat to hang out in? Never done the international thing myself.

Speaking for DAL, no. On the 767ERs with bunks, we no longer have the seat in the cabin.

Soup

I just flew a trip with the 7ER facility, and it is wonderful. You say a "super tiny" area. I contend it is not. Yes, one guy has to wait outside for what...two or three minutes?...while the other guy changes and hops into the bunk. Then two or three minutes later you are off to dreamland.

Our CROT (Crew Rest Optimization Team) has done a very good job the past few years and no doubt will continue to.

I think this thread title of "fights on" is WAYYYY premature.

If they do the 7ER bunk then that will work. Its not the Hilton but it works. Maybe we should look at a more positive angle. How about they will have to make more A330 CA positions to man these 12+ trips and 4-man vice 3-man crews. That is a net positive for manning and high paying jobs. We may be able to avoid layoffs with announced capacity reductions and bad economy etc.

I agree.

Ahem. From Webster's "new-new" Super-Premium Dictionary:

"super tiny" SOO-PER TIE-NEE Adj. Of or relating to any 2-man crew rest facility wherein one crewmember must wait outside while the other changes for two-to-three minutes; see also coffin, cozy, quaint ;)

Again, absolutely agree.

LOL no kidding!

Soup

Perhaps at DL it would be premature. When the NWA MEC originally started negotiations for the A330 pilot rest facility, prior to the first delivery, the company response was ... Put the pilots in the FA bunk room under the floor at Doors 3L/3R. If former NW management is in charge of this transition, then you need to start the fight earlier rather than later.

How do they plan on adding oxygen to the lower bunk if they stack them in the existing rest area? The current facility has a standard drop down mask coming out of the ceiling panel that would not be accessible by someone in the lower bunk.

They are also removing the 3rd jumpseat? Then the PED panel has to be removed. What about the luggage stowage area in the rest facility?

Removing the existing rest seat would also violate the existing JPWA if the aircraft is subsequently operated more than 8 but less than 12 hours:

You bring up some good points. All I can tell you is that our CROT has put in a lot of exhaustive, detailed work to ensure that our crew rest needs are absolutely addressed as well as they can be. It is a far better environment at our airline than 10-15 years ago, when mgmt expected (and for awhile, got!) pilots to crew rest in the COCKPIT! If/when the A330 flies segments > 12 hours and thus requires four pilots and two bunks, it will not do so until the crew rest facilities meet the CROT criteria. It will probably require the aircraft to be taken out of service for awhile so as to rebuild the crew rest facility, as well as a contractual side letter to change the language.