the issue of food and breaks in airliner flying I think needs to be seriously looked at.
You cannot drive a truck for more than 4 hours without a break. Nor work on a til in sainsburys.
Aviation and the marine industry is exempted, for understandable reasons, you cannot just pull over a jet into a lay by and take a break. I believe the rules were written by people that assume every aircraft has a bunk on board being long haul, or the airlines would be responsible and roster in long turn arounds for a break.
At the blue harp, with 25min turnarounds, it is impossible. You are locked in that cockpit all day, and if your lucky you get 2 mins outside for a walk around on every other sector. It is not safe, nor humane, to roster people for 12hr duties, then expect them to go into discretion for another 2 hrs, without a single break in such an un-natural environment.
Last week I caught a cabin crew eating his sandwich in the toilet on a turnaround because there is zero time in flight with their sales targets to not be doing some for of service, and he was not allowed to eat in front of the passengers....another colleague of mine was supposed to be deadheading for 2hrs, and in the end had to operate a 9hr day after an issue with the current crew, he had no food. Called ops to ask for permission to open galley, denied. Called duty pilot, denied. Told duty pilot the flight will be further delayed by 1hr (on top of the 2.5hrs delay already) while he goes to get food, and they accepted that, rather than giving him a 2euro box of pringles from the galley. This is their mentality. Get EU compensation claim rather than have a duty of care to their staff.
I do not believe that is what was intended with the rules, but that is how a large very successful company, has yet again circumvented the rules to keep their productivity high.