Do you get meal/rest breaks?

[Kem]

Would love to know what sort of meal/rest breaks you're all getting (or not getting). Is it true domestic and regional airlines expect crew to work entire shifts with no breaks at all?

[WelshCityFlyer]

Kem

I've been here before with this one, only my bugbear was the fact we DON'T have proper breaks, (where I work anyway).

I tried to 'drum up' support on this board FOR crew breaks, but the general consensus was 'if you don't like it - leave'

Don't expect any commonality / support on here.

WCF

[phd]

This is an interesting topic and one like many affecting the safety, health & sanity of aircrew that have been largely ignored by airlines, the CAA and other regulators. However, considering the human factors angle re. flight safety as well as the health & safety angle re. crew welfare it is amazing that so little has been done to address the question. All employers have a common law duty of care for their employees while at work. This duty of care extends to cover their safety, health (both physical and mental) and welfare. Clearly if the employer is an airline it also has a duty of care to all the pax and anybody else who could be affected by the airline's operations, such as those in the ground. It is well known that the human brain works best when supplied with sufficient oxygen, energy and rest. It is also well known if the brain is not functioning at its best during a critical stage of flight due to fatigue and hunger on the part of the brain's owner, then bad decisions can be made and flight safety compromised. Therefore it would be a wise, far-sighted and safety conscious employer that factored meal/rest breaks into the daily flight duties. If your employer is not so enlightened then try threatening them with section 2 of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. Also does JAR-OPS 1 not include any reference to the need for consmption of food and drink by aircrew during flying duties?

[GalleyWench]

Kem , At my carrier we get a minimum of 1 hour rest break on a flight sched over 8 hours. On a flight sched over 12 hours we get a min of 2 hours, bunks for sleeping.(Under 12 hours crew rest area varies from bunks to ecy seats). As for eating breaks, no official ines, we just take turns habing a sit with our tray. Can't remember how it went with short haul, I seem to remember not much food being left for crew.(Was skinnier as a result!)

[flyblue]

Kem, it is true we had a thread about breaks before, that you might be interested on reading, although I don't agree with WCF on the conclusion.WCF has made griping a profession and what he was blamed for was the attitude not the subject.

I fully agree with fishbed, and I think what he states is shared by any flying crew.
I have worked for years (in the previous companies I worked for)with poor respect on rest and crew meals, and I know how they can affect safety, security and ultimately the pax care.
It is not all about money: it is also a culture of considering employees like donkeys, who just have to bear the burden and be silent. This is not how human beings work. Insufficient rest and hypoglicemia lower our performances and judgement.

To answer your question, where I work now we rest if flight time is > 5 hours. From 5 hours to 5.59 the rest time is 30 min, from 6 to 6.59 it is 45 min, and so on up to from 14 to 14.59 where the rest is 4 hours.
Half of the crew rests while the other half is on duty. Rest starts after first resting shift has had their meal, and the others have their meal after them.
Rest is made in lower or upper (depending on the A/C types) crew rest bunks.
Don't know about shorthaul.
Hope it helps.

Edited for spelling

[ 09 October 2001: Message edited by: flyblue ]