Narrative:

I am a reserve captain at xyz airlines which is one of the largest regional/national airlines in the country, and the pilots are represented by the union. Unfortunately when our union negotiated our current contract, it left large holes in the work rules for the management to exploit and schedule crews to the bare bones of the FARS. And due to the management's staffing strategy, many pilots are scheduled or rescheduled for duty days in excess of 12-14 hours, which is legal but is it really safe? According to management, if it's legal it must be safe. The following will be a recount of my most recent trip, parts were scheduled legal and other parts were falsified by an unknown crew scheduler to make the trip legal and get the next day's flight out on time. When the falsification was brought to the scheduler's attention that was making the assignment, she did correct the falsification. On to the story. The original trip was scheduled as a 3-DAY trip, and was not very productive which is normal for a holiday trip at this company. The first day was an 11.3 hour duty day with 5.3 hours of flying which would be completed in 5 flight segments followed by a long layover of 16.6 hours. The second day was a very relaxed day with the duty day scheduled for 2.9 hours with 1.6 hours of flying which would be completed in 1 flight segment. Day 3 is where the trip started to become, as we reserve crew members refer to as, standard. Day 3 was originally scheduled as an 8.7 hour duty day with 4.4 hours of flying to be completed in 5 flight segments and would end the trip in domicile. However, the folks at crew scheduling modified the trip into a 4-DAY and my third day now became a 12.2 hour duty day with 5.9 hours of flying to be completed in 6 flight segments. The layover on night 3 was 8.5 hours making it a reduced rest per the FARS. In reality it was an even shorter rest period due to the .9 hour taxi ride to and from the hotel which is 'transportation local in nature' which is rest per the FARS, legal but safe? Day 4 now starts getting into the question of legal but safe. Day 4 was originally scheduled for 13.2 hours of duty with 6.1 hours of flying to be completed in 6 flight segments, this after a reduced rest legal but safe? Wait, day 4 gets better because scheduling modifies the trip into a 5-DAY now. When I contact crew scheduling and look at the trip, someone had changed my report time on day 4 in the computer after the fact. I had actually reported at XA00 am and they had changed it to XA25 am so as to have had 9 hours of rest instead of 8.5 as was the case. When I confronted the scheduler, she did change the report time back, but someone was falsifying the record to preclude the compensatory rest requirement. Now day 4 was scheduled to be a 15.5 hour duty day with 7.4 hours of flying which was completed in 7 flight segments after an 8.5 hour rest period, legal but safe? As it was questionable per the contract, I asked a chief pilot to contact me but, being a saturday night, no one did. We continued to the fourth night's layover and got the required 10 hour rest period per the far. Day 5 started with a late departure and was scheduled for a 12.2 hour duty day with 6.9 hours of flying to be completed in 6 flight segments. The last 3 days of this trip raise the same questions, especially day 4, are the far rest requirements enough? As a pilot scheduled under them, I say no. Also, with the duty and flight times being tracked by the company by computer, it allows someone to manipulate/falsify the record to their advantage as was tried during this trip. When will the FAA and management figure out the most complex piece of equipment on the airplane is the pilot and they must have adequate rest.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER FLC HAS RERTE ASSIGNMENT WHICH IS ILLEGAL.

Narrative: I AM A RESERVE CAPT AT XYZ AIRLINES WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST REGIONAL/NATIONAL AIRLINES IN THE COUNTRY, AND THE PLTS ARE REPRESENTED BY THE UNION. UNFORTUNATELY WHEN OUR UNION NEGOTIATED OUR CURRENT CONTRACT, IT LEFT LARGE HOLES IN THE WORK RULES FOR THE MGMNT TO EXPLOIT AND SCHEDULE CREWS TO THE BARE BONES OF THE FARS. AND DUE TO THE MGMNT'S STAFFING STRATEGY, MANY PLTS ARE SCHEDULED OR RESCHEDULED FOR DUTY DAYS IN EXCESS OF 12-14 HRS, WHICH IS LEGAL BUT IS IT REALLY SAFE? ACCORDING TO MGMNT, IF IT'S LEGAL IT MUST BE SAFE. THE FOLLOWING WILL BE A RECOUNT OF MY MOST RECENT TRIP, PARTS WERE SCHEDULED LEGAL AND OTHER PARTS WERE FALSIFIED BY AN UNKNOWN CREW SCHEDULER TO MAKE THE TRIP LEGAL AND GET THE NEXT DAY'S FLT OUT ON TIME. WHEN THE FALSIFICATION WAS BROUGHT TO THE SCHEDULER'S ATTN THAT WAS MAKING THE ASSIGNMENT, SHE DID CORRECT THE FALSIFICATION. ON TO THE STORY. THE ORIGINAL TRIP WAS SCHEDULED AS A 3-DAY TRIP, AND WAS NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE WHICH IS NORMAL FOR A HOLIDAY TRIP AT THIS COMPANY. THE FIRST DAY WAS AN 11.3 HR DUTY DAY WITH 5.3 HRS OF FLYING WHICH WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 5 FLT SEGMENTS FOLLOWED BY A LONG LAYOVER OF 16.6 HRS. THE SECOND DAY WAS A VERY RELAXED DAY WITH THE DUTY DAY SCHEDULED FOR 2.9 HRS WITH 1.6 HRS OF FLYING WHICH WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1 FLT SEGMENT. DAY 3 IS WHERE THE TRIP STARTED TO BECOME, AS WE RESERVE CREW MEMBERS REFER TO AS, STANDARD. DAY 3 WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED AS AN 8.7 HR DUTY DAY WITH 4.4 HRS OF FLYING TO BE COMPLETED IN 5 FLT SEGMENTS AND WOULD END THE TRIP IN DOMICILE. HOWEVER, THE FOLKS AT CREW SCHEDULING MODIFIED THE TRIP INTO A 4-DAY AND MY THIRD DAY NOW BECAME A 12.2 HR DUTY DAY WITH 5.9 HRS OF FLYING TO BE COMPLETED IN 6 FLT SEGMENTS. THE LAYOVER ON NIGHT 3 WAS 8.5 HRS MAKING IT A REDUCED REST PER THE FARS. IN REALITY IT WAS AN EVEN SHORTER REST PERIOD DUE TO THE .9 HR TAXI RIDE TO AND FROM THE HOTEL WHICH IS 'TRANSPORTATION LCL IN NATURE' WHICH IS REST PER THE FARS, LEGAL BUT SAFE? DAY 4 NOW STARTS GETTING INTO THE QUESTION OF LEGAL BUT SAFE. DAY 4 WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR 13.2 HRS OF DUTY WITH 6.1 HRS OF FLYING TO BE COMPLETED IN 6 FLT SEGMENTS, THIS AFTER A REDUCED REST LEGAL BUT SAFE? WAIT, DAY 4 GETS BETTER BECAUSE SCHEDULING MODIFIES THE TRIP INTO A 5-DAY NOW. WHEN I CONTACT CREW SCHEDULING AND LOOK AT THE TRIP, SOMEONE HAD CHANGED MY RPT TIME ON DAY 4 IN THE COMPUTER AFTER THE FACT. I HAD ACTUALLY RPTED AT XA00 AM AND THEY HAD CHANGED IT TO XA25 AM SO AS TO HAVE HAD 9 HRS OF REST INSTEAD OF 8.5 AS WAS THE CASE. WHEN I CONFRONTED THE SCHEDULER, SHE DID CHANGE THE RPT TIME BACK, BUT SOMEONE WAS FALSIFYING THE RECORD TO PRECLUDE THE COMPENSATORY REST REQUIREMENT. NOW DAY 4 WAS SCHEDULED TO BE A 15.5 HR DUTY DAY WITH 7.4 HRS OF FLYING WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN 7 FLT SEGMENTS AFTER AN 8.5 HR REST PERIOD, LEGAL BUT SAFE? AS IT WAS QUESTIONABLE PER THE CONTRACT, I ASKED A CHIEF PLT TO CONTACT ME BUT, BEING A SATURDAY NIGHT, NO ONE DID. WE CONTINUED TO THE FOURTH NIGHT'S LAYOVER AND GOT THE REQUIRED 10 HR REST PERIOD PER THE FAR. DAY 5 STARTED WITH A LATE DEP AND WAS SCHEDULED FOR A 12.2 HR DUTY DAY WITH 6.9 HRS OF FLYING TO BE COMPLETED IN 6 FLT SEGMENTS. THE LAST 3 DAYS OF THIS TRIP RAISE THE SAME QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY DAY 4, ARE THE FAR REST REQUIREMENTS ENOUGH? AS A PLT SCHEDULED UNDER THEM, I SAY NO. ALSO, WITH THE DUTY AND FLT TIMES BEING TRACKED BY THE COMPANY BY COMPUTER, IT ALLOWS SOMEONE TO MANIPULATE/FALSIFY THE RECORD TO THEIR ADVANTAGE AS WAS TRIED DURING THIS TRIP. WHEN WILL THE FAA AND MGMNT FIGURE OUT THE MOST COMPLEX PIECE OF EQUIP ON THE AIRPLANE IS THE PLT AND THEY MUST HAVE ADEQUATE REST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.