Hmmm, some interesting anti-commuting sentiment here. I can honestly say I am NOT tired, nor am I fatigued and I have been commuting for more than a decade. I have been flying with fellow commuters for years and they are all fine as well. So my conscience is clear, I have found a way to commute without being affected by it. It's honestly not a big deal if done sensibly. I am more worried by you who drive more than two hours each and every day.
Actually the Germans in EASA agree:
http://doczine.com/bigdata/2/1367193...3906b/coag.pdf
The need for specific rules for commuting was discussed, as it is a well-known factor that can potentially reduce aircrew sleep opportunity and increase fatigue before reporting for a duty. The Colgan Air flight 3407 accident in Buffalo has recently emphasised the issue of long commuter pilot. Even if commuting is a real concern in terms of safety, it is very unlikely that a regulation would be able to prevent long commuting regarding the complexity of this issue. One of the problem of a commuting regulation will be to set a limitation while the actual commuting time could vary very much as a function of the traffic conditions. Furthermore, a long commuting using public transportation is probably less tiring than a shorter commuting using a personal car. The STARE project has shown that there were no significant differences in sleep duration before a duty between long and short commuter. This is explained by the fact that long commuter use accommodation close to their base to ensure a sufficient rest before reporting for the duty. Therefore a more sensible approach to the issue of commuting would be enhancing aircrew responsibility through education and training.
A very interesting document which specifically says that commuting is more a matter of FRM than FTL. And they openly admit that the problem lies more with the
daily commute, NOT the guys who take a flight at the beginning of the week because those tend to have accommodation close by!