Avius:
Thank you. Sometimes The Straits Times tries too hard to pretend it is not merely mouthing instructions and directions from on high.
Cheers.
BlueEagle:
Greetings again. The FAM instructions re MEALS AND REFRESHMENTS / Consumption Of Meals was dated 15 June 2000, and re COCKPIT SEATING / Operating Crew was also dated 15 June 2000.
So yes, it was just about 2 years ago that this version of the FAM was released. Of course, how promptly we received that particular amendment is another matter.
Well, regarding that DCP's interpretation of the rules, even the DFO (MdV) had been known to get it wrong, to say nothing of the fact that he was frequently the one who had craftily stretched the letter of the Collective Agreement to its limits.
I cannot recall the FAM ever saying that the third pilot in a 1 Capt & 2 F/O crew was required to stay in the cockpit at all times. If anything, amendments to the FAM usually make the rules more restrictive rather than more relaxed, particularly so for situations foreseen but not spelt out. If they ever wished to "unofficially" allow a situation, the FAM would leave it unclear rather than expressly permit it, so as to give them room to interpret the rules to their advantage when the need arose. Or sometimes they would just do it backwards and issue an amendment so that the FAM now more clearly matched their interpretation.
So, in short, that DCP probably got it wrong.
Now the new management has gone further by simply not bothering with cunning interpretations, even as the FAM (their own document) itself specifies the seat numbers to be blocked off. Why even try to be creative? They simply declared that we will now sit in economy.
Enjoy your retirement! I envy you.