Narrative:

2 issues that I believe need to be addressed as a result of our experience are the minimum flight attendant staffing indicated on the pilot brief and the communication plan to insure adequate information exchange when involved with an event off-line. 1) the pilot brief indicates minimum staffing for the B747-400 as 8. Far 121.467 increases that number based on the scheduled duty time of the flight attendants. Although this information is in the fom, it does not compete well with the information, which are both in hand on a daily basis. Few of the flight attendants or pilots that I have questioned are aware of the increased staffing requirements. As most of the information on these documents is dynamic, we would be well served to modify the FAA minimum as adjusted for the scheduled duty time. We nearly departed nffn without the minimum. 2) communications. The ability to communicate on the flight operations side of our house was excellent. Dispatch and maintenance were readily available both through ACARS and satcom phone. When we needed information from the in-flight side of our house, things did not go as smoothly. In the course of our delay, we had the following occur: a request was sent to dispatch inquiring about the offer of the 5/1 consideration for the flight attendants. There was confusion as to what time it was in nandi and as to what time the flight attendants would be considering their duty limits. After numerous contacts with dispatch, an ACARS uplink forwarded the authority/authorized to the cockpit. Although 8 flight attendants were leaving the aircraft, we were under the mistaken impression that we had minimum staffing with the 7 that remained and 1 jumpseater's conversion to working crew. I was then handed a cell phone from the local supervisor and talked briefly with a lady from in-flight. Unfortunately, this was occurring at the same time that we were talking to maintenance on the sat phone. I handed the cell phone to the chief purser. Later we received an ACARS indicating that we now needed 10 flight attendants. The chief purser had gone into the terminal and purchased a phone card and attempted to contact in-flight. When she finally got through, she was told that the person she was trying to reach was not available and that she would need to call back later. We eventually contacted in-flight on a land line. In-flight asked if we would contact the flight attendants that had left the aircraft and gone to the hotel. I mentioned that I had no knowledge of where the flight attendants had gone. It was relayed to me that in-flight would attempt a contact with the flight attendants while I was attempting a contact through the duty manager/fleet to ask the FAA for relief from the 10 flight attendant minimum to continue the flight. We received a call that 4 flight attendants were returning to the aircraft which allowed us to continue to yssy. This was imperative as there were not any hotels in fiji and meeting the needs of our passenger were best served by the continuation of the flight. One final comment. I was quite surprised that the flight attendants split 8/7 after being offered the 5/1 additional pay. Knowing what I have learned from this event, I would not have let the 8 flight attendants leave the aircraft until a thorough discussion had occurred, including much better information exchange with in-flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 CAPT RPTED THAT BEFORE DEPARTING ON AN OVERSEAS FLT, WHILE DEALING WITH A MAINT PROB, HE WAS FORCED INTO A MULTI-TASKING SIT ALSO REQUIRING HIS ATTN REGARDING THE CABIN CREW'S SCHEDULE.

Narrative: 2 ISSUES THAT I BELIEVE NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AS A RESULT OF OUR EXPERIENCE ARE THE MINIMUM FLT ATTENDANT STAFFING INDICATED ON THE PLT BRIEF AND THE COM PLAN TO INSURE ADEQUATE INFO EXCHANGE WHEN INVOLVED WITH AN EVENT OFF-LINE. 1) THE PLT BRIEF INDICATES MINIMUM STAFFING FOR THE B747-400 AS 8. FAR 121.467 INCREASES THAT NUMBER BASED ON THE SCHEDULED DUTY TIME OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. ALTHOUGH THIS INFO IS IN THE FOM, IT DOES NOT COMPETE WELL WITH THE INFO, WHICH ARE BOTH IN HAND ON A DAILY BASIS. FEW OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS OR PLTS THAT I HAVE QUESTIONED ARE AWARE OF THE INCREASED STAFFING REQUIREMENTS. AS MOST OF THE INFO ON THESE DOCUMENTS IS DYNAMIC, WE WOULD BE WELL SERVED TO MODIFY THE FAA MINIMUM AS ADJUSTED FOR THE SCHEDULED DUTY TIME. WE NEARLY DEPARTED NFFN WITHOUT THE MINIMUM. 2) COMS. THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ON THE FLT OPS SIDE OF OUR HOUSE WAS EXCELLENT. DISPATCH AND MAINT WERE READILY AVAILABLE BOTH THROUGH ACARS AND SATCOM PHONE. WHEN WE NEEDED INFO FROM THE INFLT SIDE OF OUR HOUSE, THINGS DID NOT GO AS SMOOTHLY. IN THE COURSE OF OUR DELAY, WE HAD THE FOLLOWING OCCUR: A REQUEST WAS SENT TO DISPATCH INQUIRING ABOUT THE OFFER OF THE 5/1 CONSIDERATION FOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THERE WAS CONFUSION AS TO WHAT TIME IT WAS IN NANDI AND AS TO WHAT TIME THE FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD BE CONSIDERING THEIR DUTY LIMITS. AFTER NUMEROUS CONTACTS WITH DISPATCH, AN ACARS UPLINK FORWARDED THE AUTH TO THE COCKPIT. ALTHOUGH 8 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE LEAVING THE ACFT, WE WERE UNDER THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION THAT WE HAD MINIMUM STAFFING WITH THE 7 THAT REMAINED AND 1 JUMPSEATER'S CONVERSION TO WORKING CREW. I WAS THEN HANDED A CELL PHONE FROM THE LCL SUPVR AND TALKED BRIEFLY WITH A LADY FROM INFLT. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE WERE TALKING TO MAINT ON THE SAT PHONE. I HANDED THE CELL PHONE TO THE CHIEF PURSER. LATER WE RECEIVED AN ACARS INDICATING THAT WE NOW NEEDED 10 FLT ATTENDANTS. THE CHIEF PURSER HAD GONE INTO THE TERMINAL AND PURCHASED A PHONE CARD AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT INFLT. WHEN SHE FINALLY GOT THROUGH, SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE PERSON SHE WAS TRYING TO REACH WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT SHE WOULD NEED TO CALL BACK LATER. WE EVENTUALLY CONTACTED INFLT ON A LAND LINE. INFLT ASKED IF WE WOULD CONTACT THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT HAD LEFT THE ACFT AND GONE TO THE HOTEL. I MENTIONED THAT I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD GONE. IT WAS RELAYED TO ME THAT INFLT WOULD ATTEMPT A CONTACT WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING A CONTACT THROUGH THE DUTY MGR/FLEET TO ASK THE FAA FOR RELIEF FROM THE 10 FLT ATTENDANT MINIMUM TO CONTINUE THE FLT. WE RECEIVED A CALL THAT 4 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE RETURNING TO THE ACFT WHICH ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE TO YSSY. THIS WAS IMPERATIVE AS THERE WERE NOT ANY HOTELS IN FIJI AND MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR PAX WERE BEST SERVED BY THE CONTINUATION OF THE FLT. ONE FINAL COMMENT. I WAS QUITE SURPRISED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS SPLIT 8/7 AFTER BEING OFFERED THE 5/1 ADDITIONAL PAY. KNOWING WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS EVENT, I WOULD NOT HAVE LET THE 8 FLT ATTENDANTS LEAVE THE ACFT UNTIL A THOROUGH DISCUSSION HAD OCCURRED, INCLUDING MUCH BETTER INFO EXCHANGE WITH INFLT.

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.