Hi all,
I am flight crew, mainly long haul, and I am having serious concerns in this same area!
I have recently seen a major increase in the number of both maintenance errors due to a shortage of manpower, directly, and a steep increase in the number of MEL type entries.
We are lucky enough to have a Flight Engineer aboard with us, who thankfully goes thru all these entries each departure, and both explains any/all those that need to be, as well as discussing with the maint. engineer what we can/cannot tolerate!
He seems to have been doing a lot of 'discussing' lately, together with the occasional slightly raised voice, followed by more engineering work, and fending off accusations that WE are delaying the departure, with my blessing, nearly all the time!!
I understand the problem re 'time on the ground', but there must be a limit to what the crew can tolerate, and it's great to have someone very skilled in the operation of the aircraft, AND is coming with us on the flight, it makes a difference!!
Cheers