Global aviation regulatory authorities limit airline crew members’ work hours, including duty hours and active flying hours. To abide by safety regulations, crew member schedules must incorporate sufficient rest times. While airlines ensure that they have acceptable crew schedules in place, unforeseen circumstances leading to flight delays often throw those schedules off.

In such situations, crew members walk off from their duties, ensuring that aviation regulations are met What happens when airline crew walks off when their duty hours are up? This article highlights airline crew working restrictions while exploring alternatives that airlines provide to ensure smooth operations for passengers.

Pilot duty and flying hours

Pilot work restrictions are generally set based on active flying hours rather than overall duty hours (work shifts). Pilot duty hours are defined as the period of elapsed time between reporting for an assignment and release from that assignment. That includes the active flight time, typically calculated between engine start and engine shutoff.

DeltaPilots-scaled

Photo: Delta Air Lines

The duration of the work shift covers pre-flight checks, inspections, and paperwork required at the beginning and end of a flight. Airlines typically schedule pilot duty hours to be between 10 and 14 hours, which includes a cumulative flight time of 6 to 8 hours. The work shift and flight hours vary based on the route pilots are deployed on.

Pilots flying multiple short-haul routes (2-3 hours) may work for 8-10 hours, whereas those flying long-haul routes (8-10 hours) may be at work for longer. For example, a typical transatlantic flight between Seattle and London lasts approximately 10 hours. In that case, an airline may schedule multiple pilots for a work shift of 13 hours. Pilots must abide by the aviation regulations for active flying hours within a specific time period.

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I am aware that cockpit jump seat demand for commuting pilots can be very high for key city pairs, but pilots are required to report for duty at their domicile/operating base. Suppose that the cockpit jump seat is already spoken for. If it’s a full flight, can the pilot request a vacant flight attendant (FA) jump seat to complete his/her commute?

This is user-generated content. The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Simple Flying.

Aviation regulatory requirements in the United States

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires commercial airline crews to limit their flight duty times and schedule rest periods during a specific period of time. The FAA regulations for one or two pilot crews are as follows:

  • A certificate holder conducting flag operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane that has a crew of one or two pilots for eight hours or less during any 24 consecutive hours without a rest period during these eight hours.
  • If a certificate holder conducting flag operations schedules a pilot to fly more than eight hours during any 24 consecutive hours, it shall give him an intervening rest period at or before the end of eight scheduled hours of flight duty. This rest period must be at least twice the number of hours flown since the preceding rest period, but not less than eight hours. The certificate holder shall relieve that pilot of all duty with it during that rest period.
  • Each pilot who has flown more than eight hours during 24 consecutive hours must be given at least 18 hours of rest before being assigned to any duty with the certificate holder.
  • No pilot may fly more than 32 hours during any seven consecutive days, and each pilot must be relieved from all duty for at least 24 consecutive hours at least once during any seven consecutive days.
  • No pilot may fly as a crew member for more than 100 hours during any one calendar month.
  • No pilot may fly as a member of a crew for more than 1,000 hours during any 12-calendar-month period.

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Expert Opinion: Cabin Crew Should Be Seen As Safety Professionals Not Just Service Providers

In light of recent events, such as Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, Jeju Air Flight 2216 and the death of a cabin crew member after an emergency landing (SWISS), there have been more comments on social media focusing on the work of cabin crew.

In general, most passengers do not see what cabin crew are really trained for, and we are just seen as servers in a fancy uniform. These crew members put on their uniforms and went to work, just like any other day, not knowing that it would be the very last time. Some crew would lose close colleagues. Isn’t it time for the public to see that cabin crew are there to maintain a safe environment and not just to provide meals and drinks?

Cabin crew training is intensive and not everyone makes it through to the end. Some people don’t realize that cabin crew are primarily trained to deal with emergencies. There could be a medical emergency onboard, a fire in the cabin or an emergency landing. Cabin crew may have to deal with the aftermath of an accid

The FAA regulations for two pilots with an additional crew member differ, where pilots can work slightly long hours.

  • No certificate holder conducting flag operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane with a crew of two pilots and at least one additional flight crew member for a total of more than 12 hours during any 24 consecutive hours.
  • If a pilot has flown 20 or more hours during any 48 consecutive hours or 24 or more hours during any 72 consecutive hours, he must be given at least 18 hours of rest before being assigned to any duty with the air carrier. In any case, he must be given at least 24 hours of rest during seven consecutive days.
  • No pilot may fly as a flight crew member more than
  • 120 hours during any 30 consecutive days
  • 300 hours during any 90 consecutive days
  • 1,000 hours during any 12-calendar-month period
Pilot training shutterstock_1450486244

Photo: ALPA PROD | Shutterstock

When the time is up

Pilots risk going over their allowed duty hours when scheduled flights are delayed for any reason. The crew considers the flight time plus the taxi time at departing and arriving airports. In a recent incident, an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston was delayed multiple times due to a mechanical issue.

While the aircraft was being repaired in the hangar, the crew’s clocks were ticking. Business Insider reports that Sheila Gray, a passenger on that American Airlines flight who had arrived from Rome and was connecting in Charlotte to get to Boston, was stuck at the airport due to flight delays.

“All I wanted was to get home to my bed. I had been up for 24 hours at this point and the deplaning was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Boeing 787 cockpit with one pilot in it shutterstock_1189760212

Photo: Jon_studio | Shutterstock

Upon inquiring with the gate agent at Charlotte Douglas Airport, she was informed that “the plane was in a hangar being repaired.

The plane eventually got ready and all passengers boarded for their flight to Boston. Approximately 20 minutes later, while the plane was still on the ground, passengers were told to de-board because “the crew has timed out and couldn’t fly. We all deplaned and started scrambling to see if we could find other flights.

“People were angry and yelling at the gate agents. After we reboarded, one irate gentleman in the gate area was escorted off the plane. I did not hear him causing a commotion on the plane but had seen him after we were taken off the plane.”

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Airlines have contingency plans

Flight disruptions are common, particularly during inclement weather and peak travel season. From weather-related delays and diversions to mechanical failures, scheduled airline operations are often disrupted. Airlines have contingency plans in place, and multiple sets of flight crews are stationed at major hubs.

Emirates cabin crew welcoming passengers onboard an Airbus A380 shutterstock_2478859967

Photo: Sorbis | Shutterstock

The relief crew remains on standby for such situations. While these instances cause trouble to passengers, airlines are bound to follow these regulations to prevent hefty fines and loss of licenses and certifications. On most transcontinental routes, airlines schedule a pilot crew of 3-4 pilots, particularly when flying to offshore destinations.

In situations where a relief crew is not available to fly the airplane, airlines have to cancel the flight altogether and rebook passengers on different flights based on their final destinations. Airlines generally arrange accommodation and meal vouchers for passengers who face such lengthy disruptions.

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