There`s something profoundly wrong with a schedule when, after three weeks downroute, one has to fear having even one bloody glass of wine with one`s meal because operators don`t have the decency to ring fence rest periods.
This is the perennial argument isn't it? I've seen other examples of crews left in a hotel at a 24/7 airport waiting for work who have, when called, declared that they have had a drink with dinner yet
knew that they were only there to react to a charter pop-up. The argument was that they had 'been on standby' all day (in hotel, health spa, lie-ins etc) so were entitled to a period of rest, but it's a grey area if they've done cock all all day except run up a hotel bill! The pilots got nothing more than a bollocking, and to their credit they could have tried to wing it and didn't, but it was an interesting dilemma.
Oddly enough, the same OPR as this Chally.