EASA rules and flying rosters are getting really challenging now. However;
You do have a choice about food. It is easy enough to prepare a salad or a couple of rounds of sandwiches in a tupperware box the night before. (Or buy same from M&S). I make my own and add a small tub of nuts and a couple of pieces of fruit. Just don't bring drinks or yoghurts as most security gates have a problem with those.
'Being contactable by your family' : I suspect what is really meant here is being able to take days off at short notice to deal with family issues? In the BBC we used to have 2 emergency days off per year that could be invoked at very short notice - an idea for the Company Councils perhaps? A family that needs to constantly phone you to resolve day to day problems probably needs reorganising ! Having said that, child care can be a nightmare if both parents work.
If you are fatigued, for goodness sake put in a report. You don't have to refuse to fly. I often put a report in if I was fatigued at some point in the day - or even when driving home - and mitigated it by drinking coffee, or taking controlled rest etc. But we MUST put the reports in. The fatigue does not have to be caused by the company either. Neighbour's noisy barbecue/party is a legitimate reason if you were unable to sleep. The CAA should have a depository for us to report fatigue to them if we don't want to go through our company.
A Cabin manager once said to me "but if we put in a fatigue report it will show that we can't cope" EXACTLY !!
The CCs and Unions - of both pilots and cabin crews - should be much stronger over fatigue and rostering - but to do this they will need OUR support and votes. Why we have not had a general walk-out over this is beyond me. Have the unions and XAAs all been nobbled? We need unions more like those in the railways.
Last edited by Uplinker; 17th Sep 2016 at 13:05.