Couldn't agree more curtain;
Nothing will change when we still have a huge contingent of gutless CNs who will wear red, stamp their feet and then continue to find every conceivable method to extend FDP followed by - "it's only 30 minutes discretion, it'll be okay".
On my last trip I was barely able to provide the minimum 3 hrs relief to extend the captain before I burnt out mid-flight to make a total 3 man 2-sector duty time of 16 hours. Still discretion was required by the CN. My opinion was well known and I remained off the flight deck for the remainder of the flight.
Extenuous circumstances aside, (such as the Almaty incident, which can be argued from both sides) I wish we could all, through the AOA, develop a sensible stance on the use of CD. A recommendation at the very least. Left to our own devices, it doesn't seem most of us are capable of applying common sense in the current rostering environment. Excessive fatigue, controlled rest and ultimately, even more fatiguing rosters are the result of some of our own ill informed decisions.
I'm getting a bit sick to death of all our rhetoric, particularly when it comes to CD, where a lot of guys let their true colours shine. They should not be thinking what the 3rd, 6th, 9th or whatever floor might think of their decision. They should be thinking of what a jury will be thinking of their decision when it all goes south - and management is looking for the closest, biggest bus they can place you infront of.
We are all quick to point the finger at "the union" for not acting forcefully enough, but how can the GC ever hope to have a solid campaign backing when we have union guys who can't say no to a non-jeapordy request (extreme circumstances aside).
It's time to put up or shut up.
For the avoidance of doubt and for those who insist on applying creative licence to terms such as "extreme circumstances", I would categorise non extreme circumstances as;
Gate holds
Flow control
Technical delays
Loading delays
Weather delays
Non life threatening tech-stops
Diversions to destination alternates
Insufficient crewing
And so forth....
Last edited by increase.descent; 24th May 2016 at 11:12.