Bealzebub, thanks for the info man. I can see your point and the way you say it makes sense. However I'm not sure if a published schedule can be considered as legal base of operation. To me, its a flight plan produced by dispatch and that is a planing stage. Anything happening before moving on its own power, is before dispatch and therefore falls into planing. The problem is that the flight plan shows published block according to the seasonal schedule and predicted flight time based on forecasted wind conditions. I guess, its a question of interpretation, whats actual or planed. However if its a general approach throughout the industry, i guess I have to accept that.
When the roster was produced it was presumably based on an average block time of 11:45 and there was no real way of knowing that on the day the actual block time would be longer.
True, but how about just to have a look at trip time? Isn't it why its called flight PLAN and not flight LOG.
In such circumstances that crew member who must be a current type rated pilot would be a resource to provide crew rest periods to the other 2 pilots in any event.
Well if you're speaking about in flight relief, that's not the case. There was an additional flight crew member, but he didn't provide any relief neither to commander nor to f/o. Although on the same route another reputable carrier is having 2 commanders for the reason mentioned by your above. I don't think they would waste money. None the less my question about dealing of CAA with that matter is of big relevance to me, since I'd like to know what kind of consequences that might imply.
Cheers.