It never seems to stop at this place does it.
HEADLINE: Aircrew challenge inflight rest ruling
BODY:
Polly Hui
A Cathay Pacific staff union has applied for a judicial review of the director -general of civil aviation's approval of a new inflight rest schedule, which they claim significantly reduces their minimum resting time on long-haul journeys.
The Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, one of the airline's largest unions, argues in a High Court writ that it filed yesterday that the change is in breach of the Civil Aviation Department's guidelines.
The guidelines contain standard provisions designed to avoid fatigue in aircrew.
The union says the department has a statutory duty to enforce the guidelines.
According to the union, the differences between "minimum bunk rest" - or sleeping time - for flight attendants in the new schedule and in the guidelines can be as much as five hours.
For instance, a cabin-crew member serving on board for 18 to 19 hours would be given a minimum of 4.5 hours of sleeping time under the new practice, compared with the eight to 10 hours required by department guidelines.
The group is seeking High Court action to declare the approval of the schedule by the department's director-general unlawful.
The schedule, effective from January 1, raised concerns about cabin crew fatigue and long-haul flight safety.
The writ also says the union was only made aware of the schedule in December.
It says sufficient rest for crew members is important because they need to be responsive to the needs of passengers and react promptly in times of emergency.
But in a letter to the union last month, the director-general denied the decision was made unlawfully, arguing that the schedule was consistent with the guidelines.