How come some office worker, who works maximum 8 hr days (or there is trouble), was able to make the law that it's alright for flight crew to work an 18 hr day, as long as there is an opportunity for inflight "rest" and the crew is “augmented" and "acclimatised"?
Was he the head of the committee which spent 24 months designing an acclimatisation table that can't work out the acclimatisation 66% of the time and leaves the result at "unknown"?
Lets imagine he or she has to work to their own rules.
Let's be kind, and start them at normal time, 8am. Straight off the bat, they will be doing a 13 hr day. If they'd just come off holiday and were a bit groggy still to match "unknown" acclimatisation status, they'd be in for an easier 12 hr day.
Except if the boss called and said, I'm extending your day a bit by sending you Fred and Bob. With two extra blokes in your office you can all do 17hrs straight as long as there's a bunk for one of you to kip in whilst the other two work.
Make sure you leave the hoover on all the time for some ambience. Oh, and there's a bit of a flap on today so I expect you to use your discretion and stay a couple of hours longer, there's a good chap.
When you're done, drag your bags down the road to a cheap hotel and make sure you're back here in 17hrs to do it all over again. After 168 hrs of this, you can take 36 hrs off. I know your other mates get 48hrs every 120 hrs but this is EASA, you know.
Seriously? How about standard labour law and 8 hour days?
I understand how things evolved in aviation, short flights at first didn't require rest, and as the aircraft became capable of longer flights, the crews had to be able to man them. But the moment the crew bunks were installed, there was the opportunity to go back to the 8 hr working day model that the labour law stipulates for every other worker. Work more than 8hrs, two crews. Period. No crew bunks, then after 8hrs land and change crews. Yes this is a bit simplistic and sure the system has to be tuned for shift work, but.... How in hell did it get to where we are today when it's legal for me to work in the aeroplane for 18 hrs and Mr EASA does 8 in his office?