Originally Posted by
wiggy
I think many of us who did Long Haul from the European side of the pond were very envious of the fact that it appeared as if the US operators stuck a third pilot on if the flight was oceanic in any way shape or form, and this requirement was down to Union agreements, rather then any benevolence on the part of the airlines..
Can anyone State side confirm or deny?
Delta’s pilot contract requires a third pilot on any flight over 8 hours and a two Captains and two FO’s over 12 hours. As a rule the airline normally staffs most Atlantic flights with 3 pilots even under 8 hours to help reliability. US FAR’s on the return leg from Europe can specify a maximum total duty time as low as 9 hours for a 2-man crew. Any delays would force a cancelation without the third pilot. In addition you can’t call the crew at the Hotel and delay the pickup. Duty day starts at scheduled pickup unless you get about 10 hours prior notification.