AA fined for violating mandatory rest period
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AA fined for violating mandatory rest period
USA Today reports:
"Federal aviation officials have fined American Airlines $285,000 for putting pilots in the cockpit without ensuring that the pilots had received a mandated rest period.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified American of the proposed penalty earlier this month and is set to announce the sanction within days, sources familiar with the case told USA TODAY.
The action comes as the debate heats up over how long and under what conditions pilots may fly without jeopardizing safety. Pilot fatigue has been identified as a contributing factor in several aviation accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board lists it as one of its "Most Wanted" reforms. But efforts to rewrite the rules have been stalled for years.
USA TODAY reported Wednesday that a sleep expert has told the NTSB that fatigue "very likely" played a role in a crash of an American jet that killed 11 people in Little Rock on June 1, 1999.
The FAA alleges that the airline committed 38 violations during a 15-day period last August. Sources said that hundreds of other violations had been found in an audit of the carrier last year.
American Airlines officials say they had been given permission to operate that way by a regional FAA official.
On Dec. 12, 1999, the FAA began enforcing a rule that requires airlines to apply the agency's rest rules to reserve pilots, who are asked to fly on short notice to fill vacancies.
The FAA requires that pilots receive nine hours' rest every 24 hours. In some circumstances, that can be shortened to eight hours. However, the agency had not enforced the rule for reserve pilots. As a result, a reserve pilot could theoretically have been called to work at midnight after being awake all day.
The FAA denied American's request for a delay in enforcing the rule. In spite of that, the airline did not initially comply. "We were always up front with the FAA," American spokesman John Hotard said. "We always told them what we were doing. The next thing we knew, the FAA in Washington had proposed a civil fine."
The airline had to hire 200 more pilots to comply with the rule. By postponing the hiring, the airline saved several million dollars, officials said.
The airline said safety had not been compromised. Though other airlines complied with the rule, industry officials said it forced costly hiring but added nothing to safety.
The fine is a proposed civil penalty. Such penalties are often lowered after negotiations with airlines.
American has been at the center of the pilot work rules debate because its union, the Allied Pilots Association, has aggressively pursued allegations of violations. Last month, a union official filed a complaint with the FAA that the airline had pressured pilots to fly routes that violated federal work rules.
Both airlines and pilot unions have complained about the current rules governing pilot rest requirements, but each has opposed various solutions. Airlines have filed suit against the FAA to block enforcement of another rule restricting how long pilots may work.
"Federal aviation officials have fined American Airlines $285,000 for putting pilots in the cockpit without ensuring that the pilots had received a mandated rest period.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified American of the proposed penalty earlier this month and is set to announce the sanction within days, sources familiar with the case told USA TODAY.
The action comes as the debate heats up over how long and under what conditions pilots may fly without jeopardizing safety. Pilot fatigue has been identified as a contributing factor in several aviation accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board lists it as one of its "Most Wanted" reforms. But efforts to rewrite the rules have been stalled for years.
USA TODAY reported Wednesday that a sleep expert has told the NTSB that fatigue "very likely" played a role in a crash of an American jet that killed 11 people in Little Rock on June 1, 1999.
The FAA alleges that the airline committed 38 violations during a 15-day period last August. Sources said that hundreds of other violations had been found in an audit of the carrier last year.
American Airlines officials say they had been given permission to operate that way by a regional FAA official.
On Dec. 12, 1999, the FAA began enforcing a rule that requires airlines to apply the agency's rest rules to reserve pilots, who are asked to fly on short notice to fill vacancies.
The FAA requires that pilots receive nine hours' rest every 24 hours. In some circumstances, that can be shortened to eight hours. However, the agency had not enforced the rule for reserve pilots. As a result, a reserve pilot could theoretically have been called to work at midnight after being awake all day.
The FAA denied American's request for a delay in enforcing the rule. In spite of that, the airline did not initially comply. "We were always up front with the FAA," American spokesman John Hotard said. "We always told them what we were doing. The next thing we knew, the FAA in Washington had proposed a civil fine."
The airline had to hire 200 more pilots to comply with the rule. By postponing the hiring, the airline saved several million dollars, officials said.
The airline said safety had not been compromised. Though other airlines complied with the rule, industry officials said it forced costly hiring but added nothing to safety.
The fine is a proposed civil penalty. Such penalties are often lowered after negotiations with airlines.
American has been at the center of the pilot work rules debate because its union, the Allied Pilots Association, has aggressively pursued allegations of violations. Last month, a union official filed a complaint with the FAA that the airline had pressured pilots to fly routes that violated federal work rules.
Both airlines and pilot unions have complained about the current rules governing pilot rest requirements, but each has opposed various solutions. Airlines have filed suit against the FAA to block enforcement of another rule restricting how long pilots may work.
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"The FAA requires that pilots receive nine hours' rest every 24 hours."
Is that the way it is in the US? Nine hours rest after fifteen hours work? You guys must be like the living dead with hours like that. And I thought the British FTL was designed to ensure your permenantly knackered.
Is that the way it is in the US? Nine hours rest after fifteen hours work? You guys must be like the living dead with hours like that. And I thought the British FTL was designed to ensure your permenantly knackered.
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Actually, the contract for line holders (i.e. regularly scheduled crewmembers) is 14 hours on duty, reduced to 13 hours if re-assigned.
The 16 hour on call, 8 hours of rest is for crewmembers sitting reserve.
If a reserve availability period (RAP) starts at 05.00 in the morning then the crewmember may only be on duty(call) until 21.00. They are automatically released at 19.00 if they've not been called to fly.
The problem arises when folks get called out late in their RAP and the regularly scheduled crew doesn't realise the "drop dead" time for the reserve, which is RAP start + 16hrs.
AA didn't have the program in place to track this back in July 2000 and now the FAA has finally grown balls the previous cosy relationship is over, as it should be.
Cheers,dd.
The 16 hour on call, 8 hours of rest is for crewmembers sitting reserve.
If a reserve availability period (RAP) starts at 05.00 in the morning then the crewmember may only be on duty(call) until 21.00. They are automatically released at 19.00 if they've not been called to fly.
The problem arises when folks get called out late in their RAP and the regularly scheduled crew doesn't realise the "drop dead" time for the reserve, which is RAP start + 16hrs.
AA didn't have the program in place to track this back in July 2000 and now the FAA has finally grown balls the previous cosy relationship is over, as it should be.
Cheers,dd.
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American is famous for negotiating fines down to nothing. They won't get hurt.
If the Dallas FAA Regional office will protect Continental, American won't get touched in the long run.
If the Dallas FAA Regional office will protect Continental, American won't get touched in the long run.
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as best i remember, the minimum rest period in the UK is 12 hours which can vary dependening on the time you commence your duty. In the US our minimum rest allowed is 8 hours , that doesn't include time to hotel and your wind down period. Europe has a more practical approach to duty and flight time than the US system which figures that a pilot does not become fatigued from sitting around an airport so laong as he/she doesn't fly more than 8 hours in a 24 hour period.
