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I predict there'll be huge resistance to any moves to include commuting before start of duty
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Yep, a lot of the folks over the years that whine the loudest about fatigue are also the ones that commute in from the coast for a crossing the same day. I've had a fellow crewmember call to tell me he was taking the redeye from LAX to the East Coast to operate a morning departure to Europe. His flight was due 30 minutes before show time and if he wasn't at briefing he'd meet me at the plane.
American pilots traditionally have had very wide latitude on commuting and ready access to the jumpseat on other carriers. As far as I know, the feds have never formally put any limits on this 'transportation not local in character' since it is not required by the airline. However, the Colgan BUF CVR transcript has put long commutes without much rest in the public spotlight. Captain Sully is a coast to coast commuter, he'll probably be called back to Capitol Hill to testify on this subject.
I believe FedEx already has some crew duty time system to track people who ride on their jumpseats to operate longhaul, anyone know for sure?
Be careful what you wish for when you demand that the feds scrutinize pilot fatigue issues...