Pardon this attempt by a foreign (narrowbody pilot) to understand something, and bring up an apparent contrast, because what happens over there is certainly none of my business.
It was my impression that the CAA is more conscientious about enforcement of crew rest requirements than is often the case with our 'friends' here at the FAA, which in the past allowed airlines to force crews to fly an extra leg in order to reposition a plane (using FAR Part 91, as with a private or corporate plane)-which could add on an extra 5-12 hour duty period.
There never seemed to be news about US widebody crews being pushed (or shamed) into exceeding their FAR duty day limitations during Desert Storm, although they had some long periods in order to return to Frankfurt etc. My company just a week or two ago announced activation of the CRAF (C. Res. Air Fleet), and there has been no news from our union about being expected to fly extra long duty days as a substitute for pre-planning by our DOD (Dept. of Defense) or company, that I'm aware of. It was also my impression that the govt here pays higher fares for military passengers on DOD business, than what our typical "local yokel" (wearing t-shirt and sandals) pays to sit in coach class.
