Its all about fatigue
Pegasus, my understanding is the FAAA is there to protect its members and ensure our work is covered adequately by common sense safeguards.
Thats why we have a slipping formula, hours limitations and so on.
Unfortunately in some respects crew need to be saved from themselves.
Many crew bid back to back LAs, these cannot be healthy for you. One is bad enough let alone a roster full.
Some female crew will fly when they are pregnant. This is only my opinion but i can not believe that while a precious life is forming and in the early stages of its creation that we have mothers who will expose the foetus to flying in a pressurised environment, expose themselves to the air born bacteria that passengers bring onboard with them, the jetlag, the pushing and pulling of heavy carts, the lifting of passengers baggage, and in the worst case may have to block an exit with passengers attempting to get out in an emergency, oh not fogetting lugging a suitcase around every other day and the inability to have a rest should you for some unknown reason be feeling dam tired because your in the middle of a meal service somewhere in the AM somewhere around the world, somewhere at 30 000 feet.
sorry to ramble but i think you get the point.
The JFK shuttle should never have been put to a vote. Clearly there is a serious time change issue and clearly to have to operate a 15 plus hour day in the middle of an LA direct is not taking your memberships health and welfare into account.
As we know some crew are happy to fly 260 hrs a period if thay can. That doesnt mean its a good thing. The FAAA did the unconscionable by dangling dollars before the noses of greedy crew.
If the money wasnt there the sick leave would be very high. No one would do the shuttles.
The safety and health of the FAAA membership should be the highest priority and to compromise that because its all too hard to go to the commission and have a proper fatigue study on our job is very sad indeed. Even the Company now realises the ramifications and importance of fatigue.
MM had a fatigue study done on the LA and JFK shuttle.
It was by an academic who never actually flew, who used a computer model and some data to determine whether we would be fatigued or not. The long & short of it was it was determined we would be no more tired than on any other sector we flew. Incredible. He obviously didnt feel like many of us do when we have walked off the shuttle arriving back in LA.
Its time the FAAA did a proper fatigue study covering all aspects of our work using actual crew who can be monitored for approx 12 months taking into account everything that impacts us.
With carmen, new aircraft , growth in destinations and increased frequency to destinations flying is becoming harder not easier.
Lets see if the FAAA can be a leader in the world of aviation and not make excuses but carry out and complete an in-depth study that will harness the ever growing greed of the aviation industry and force it to give the health of its workforce a responsible priority.
The outcome may empower all aviation unions across the world.
