FDP and discretion

[Smell the Coffee]

Any advice on following example would be appreciated.

Let's say you're downroute, due to operate back as Cabin Crew to LHR on a longhaul flight. You are in a timezone GMT + 8 (HKG).

You report for your return sector to LHR, and 25 hours have elapsed since the end of your last FDP. Under your Company's Scheme regs, you are therefore "not acclimatised".

As a result, your max FDP for the single sector to LHR is therefore 12:30 (Company Scheme regs). However, your planned FDP is actually 14:25 (as rostered).

The FDP could be extended through the use of inflight rest. Your aircraft has bunks, so a minimum of 3 hours' rest would result in a possible FDP extension of 1.5 hours. Alternatively, you could schedule 3.5 hours' inflight rest to extend the FDP by 1:45 hours. This still only acheives a max FDP of 14:15, requiring 10 minutes' discretion.

Question: is it permissable to allow the use of Commander's Discretion at the planning stage?

The only way to avoid any discretion at the planning stage in this example is by scheduling 4 hours' inflight rest for the Cabin Crew, who would then struggle to deliver a service on a full flight from HKG.

Any thoughts? Should I call scheduling and question this? Or just insist that the SCCM provide 4 hours' inflight rest to avoid inevitable discretion? 8 hours rest on a Hong Kong is rather excessive and would leave crew unable to deliver the service to Company specifications.

*I should add that this was originally part of a LHR-Japan-LHR rotation which has been modified to allow crew to slip in HKG.*

[BOAC]

Question: is it permissable to allow the use of Commander's Discretion at the planning stage?- I have not been into your figures but the answer is no (Not under EUOPS anyway).

If 'discretion' was exercised, the ultimate arbiter/decision maker would be the Captain with whom the 'discretionary' powers lie. What did he/she say? If I had been in that situation and the SCCM had not acted appropriately, I would have directed the SCCM to arrange appropriate rest and the passengers would have to 'suffer' accordingly. It sounds to me like a SCCM/Captain management issue.

The only exceptions would be 'exceptional circumstances' such as war or major disaster which presumably do not apply here to a scheduled trip. If you cannot get a satisfactory answer/solution from SCCM and/or Captain then speak to scheduling who would HAVE to have a 'plan' for the duty.

If that fails, then your only options are to speak to any union to which you belong and ultimately to raise a safety report. Companies (EUOPS) are bound as a condition of their AOC to plan flights without the use of Captain's discretion.

[Smell the Coffee]

Thanks BOAC

This is still at the planning stage; it hasn't happened yet.

Ref the below:

WE 16 MAR OFF DUTY
TH 17 MAR OFF DUTY
FR 18 MAR REPORT AT 0635 LOCAL TIME LON
0805 BA007 LHR HKG 1940 77J 1335
SA 19 MAR 2040 BA007 HKG NRT 0035 77Z
SU 20 MAR 0155 BA008D NRT HKG 0700 77Z 1150
MO 21 MAR 0900 BA008D HKG LHR 2225 77Z 1455
CLEAR TIME 2255 LOCAL TIME LON

[Smell the Coffee]

Just confirmed with Ops that we will indeed require 4 hours bunk rest to extend FDP by 2 hours - enough to cover the shortfall without any need for discretion.

It will mean crew struggle to deliver 2 hot meal services to Company standards, but under the circumstances it's understandable - I think many customers will just be happy to be leaving the area.

Thanks BOAC for your help.

I didn't think commander's discretion could be used at the planning stage.

[BOAC]

I think many customers will just be happy to be leaving the area. - indeed and a suitably worded PA by the Captain would set the seal on it I'm sure

EDIT: In my reply at #2 I was 'assuming' it had happened! Thus scrub most of para 2:)