Ottergirl,
I have just read and reread this document now 3 or 4 times and I agree with you.
The working limits are very similar to those that cabin crew already work to.
The 7.5 hour rest period is NOT something someone can be rostered, it is reduced rest during disruption and travelling to and from the hotel is not included in this time.
There are safeguards in that, as now, the captain can reduce a duty day or increase the rest if he feels his crew may be suffering from fatigue.
Written into the document is a duty for the operator to produce fair and workable rosters. This document just sets out the very minimums that an operator can work to, in my opinion it does not mean that operators will work us all to these limits everyday anymore than they work us to the cap371 limits now and as has been pointed out we all have our own agreements or MOAs and they need to be negotiated away before our duty days can be altered.
Added in are these required 30 min meal breaks every six hours which will in actual fact maybe improve some of the cabin crew rosters!
This argument that other airlines will work to these levels and BA will not be able to compete are also strange because the actual document states that some EU countries are already operating to less restrictive versions than this EASA document sets out. eg Ireland and Italy.
I have always found it strange how cabin crew could always work one hour longer than pilots and also required one hour less rest than pilots. One good thing is that this document treats us in the same way, minus the extra pre-flight briefing that we do!!
As for the 900 hours, that still is 900 hours in a calender year it is just that you can do 1000 in a rolling 12 month period which will make it easier for airlines to cope with when someone gets close to their maximum, instead of getting them to sit at home, as happens now.
Obviously I would prefer we stayed under the umbrella of the CAA but having looked at the document and compared it to current cabin crew scheme it is not very different in my meager opinion.
Hope my opinion does not upset anyone too much. Just an opinion and as you all know by now I am quite opinionated!!!!
These are obviously my views and not those of BA.
Last edited by Betty girl; 11th Mar 2011 at 15:34.