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Experience 008 Show Notes. Who is the flight staff working my flight? The world of crew duty and rest periods. The Seat 1A Podcast.

The Seat 1A Podcast

Release Date: 12/24/2018

Recorded 02 December 2018

Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam

Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play and Overcast.

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In this episode experience we look at the world of crew duty time, flight duty period, and crew rest periods. What is the generally accepted length of allowed duty time, how is this defined, and when does the clock start? How long is the minimum rest time? How is the time allocated when at home or a remote downline station?

We hear that crew time has expired – what does that mean? What are the different options for replacement crews? How does crew scheduling work? Minimum crew requirements – what is it and how is it determined?

Controlled rest on smaller planes and augmentation on long-haul flights – where do pilots and crew sleep? Guess where the crew bunk areas are on wide-body planes?

What to be aware of for delay situations and crew staffing?

Mechanical delays happen – news item of 7-hour delays at BLR with AI.

Drunk JL pilot 9x over the limit at LHR

LO pilot had to pay cash for parts at PEK before flying to WAW – and asked the passengers to help out.

If you have a crew duty story, question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/


 SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE



NEWS ITEMS

 Times of India | AI flight to Delhi delayed for 7 hrs, passengers hit (02 December 2018)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/ai-flight-to-delhi-delayed-for-7-hrs-passengers-hit/articleshow/66901122.cms
"...The flight (AI 505) was supposed to take off from Bengaluru at 10am but was delayed due to technical issues. It finally departed at 5.15pm..."


The Guardian | Japanese pilot jailed for drinking before flight from Heathrow (29 November 2018)
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/29/heathrow-pilot-jailed-for-10-months-after-drinking-before-flight
"...The co-pilot was caught after security noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol, seemed drunk and had “glazed eyes”, while an officer later noticed he had 'difficulty standing straight'..."


aerotime.aero | Passengers asked to pay for repair so LOT plane can take off (14 November 2018)
https://www.aerotime.aero/clement.charpentreau/22088-passengers-asked-to-pay-for-repair-so-lot-plane-can-take-off
"... After a Boeing 787 Dreamliner hydraulic pump broke down, 249 passengers on board LOT Polish Airlines flight LO92 were asked to foot the bill for repairs so they could take off..."



PODCAST CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS

  • Japan Airlines (JL) no longer flies to DUS – but ANA (NH) currently does as of 02 December 2018.



SHOW NOTES

  • Introduction to crew duty time, flight duty period, and crew rest periods [00:01:00]
  • The crew's time has expired – an explanation [00:08:00]
  • If your crew is delayed at your airline's home base what options are there? [00:10:15]
  • What happens if they're delayed downline? [00:12:10]
  • How does crew scheduling work? [00:15:17]
  • What is minimum crew requirement? [00:17:47]
  • Where do crew take a rest in the plane? Narrow-body plane examples and controlled rest [00:21:25]
  • Pilot rest areas on wide-body planes [00:23:23]
  • Cabin crew get rest areas all over the plane – any guesses where? [00:25:53]
  • Are airlines providing enough rest time for crew – Air Canada (AC) Flight 759 as an example [00:30:14]
  • What to be aware for as a passenger [00:31:20]
  • Crew delays can happen just getting to the airport [00:32:07]
  • News Items
    • AI flight to Delhi delayed for 7 hrs [00:33:59]
    • Japanese pilot jailed for drinking before flight from Heathrow [00:35:28]
    • Passengers asked to pay for repair so LOT plane can take off [00:37:00]
  • Wrap-up [00:38:28]