Excerpt from DEAR AFA (5/29/2007):

The June DSL report that was published in late April first advised us of a trial run of earlier departure times with the first flights of the morning.  Reading this report in late April or early May would give a leg up on what we might expect to see in our bid packages for June, but now that the schedule month is just days away we need to consider the impact on our schedules within the operation.  Many flights that previously departed between 0600 and 0615 will be leaving stations as early as 0535 to 0555. 

In recognition of the earlier airport check-in time, our Contract provides the protection of a shorter duty day.  These early trips will have a duty period starting prior to 0500, resulting in different scheduled and actual limitations in our duty day, than if those flights had departed later.  Section 7.I.4.a. of our Collective Bargaining Agreement dictates the maximum duty day based on the starting time of the duty period according to your home domicile time.  These earlier departures will be subject to duty periods of 11 and a half hours scheduled and 13 hours actual.  Refer to your Contract for your specific circumstances.  The earlier departures begin this coming week for the June schedule.

Maximum domestic duty time provisions are defined in Section 7.I. of our Agreement.  Working in excess of maximum duty times creates a situation that fosters fatigue and potentially compromises your personal well being as well as that of your flying partners and the passengers in your care.  As we fight on Capitol Hill for improvements in rest provisions and addressing the issue of Flight Attendant fatigue, we must be vigilant about protecting Contractual legalities and current Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).  In most cases, our Contract provides greater protection than the FARs.

Duty time starts at check-in, includes flight, deadhead, sit time and concludes after a period of debriefing.  We recommend you carry a copy of your DSL ID from the Key Pages to have for reference throughout your trip.  Your Key Pages contain your scheduled duty time and the start of your duty day which begins at check-in.  Your ID contains your updated duty time within the actual operation.

The actual maximum duty times apply only once you have checked in for the first flight in the duty period.  Any rescheduling must be done without exceeding the maximum actual duty time based on the original commencement of duty.  Section 7.I.4.b. provides that under no circumstances shall a Flight Attendant be required to remain on duty in excess of the maximum duty time hours, including deadhead, in any 24 hour period.  In the actual operation, when you find you are approaching your duty time maximum:

• advise the Crew Desk of the legality so they can make appropriate arrangements for replacements, and
• Call early.  Call often.

When calculating maximum duty times, the published DSL flight time must be used; not the estimated flight time based on that day's operating conditions.  The DSL time is the scheduled flight time appearing in the Key Pages.  The maximum actual should include this scheduled DSL time and any associated debriefing. Make sure you know and enforce these Contractual duty time protections.

When any member of the crew is rescheduled into a duty period exceeding 14 hours, the requirements of FAR 121.467 must be met.  This important FAR requires augmented (or additional) staffing beyond the FAA minimum staffing required by aircraft type.  This augmented staffing becomes "part" of the FAA minimum staffing requirement and increases based on the length of the duty period involved.  The FAR applies differently if you are working your original schedule or if you become involved in a reassignment. 

For example, three Flight Attendants are working their flight as originally assigned in their ID when they started their duty day on a 737-300 aircraft at 0600.  The FAA minimum crew for this aircraft is three.  Their flight is delayed and the duty time of the ID is projected to 14:20.  Augmented staffing would not be required on this flight.

In contrast, if these same three Flight Attendants were reassigned to work a segment that was not part of their original ID and the reassignment projects any member of the crew beyond 14 hours, augmented staffing would be required.  In this case, the FAR would require the Company to schedule one additional Flight Attendant as a member of the working crew.  Details of the FAR are explained on FAOM page 4.10.3.

If you have any questions or believe your flight has been improperly dispatched without the required augmented crew, write a report to your Local AFA Safety Committee and file an OSAP report immediately.

This Thursday, May 31st is the last day of the schedule month.  If you are scheduled on Reserve through the last day of the month, you can be flown the difference of your credited time or your FTM and maximum time prior to midnight on the last day of the month, including a flight that departs shortly before midnight which would require only a few minutes of availability below your maximum. 

Section 10.C.11. of our Contract requires that Flight Attendants who are transitioning from their Lineholder month to a Reserve month must be available at 2000 for assignments departing after midnight, but legal rest provisions apply to availability time if coming off a trip. Section 10.C.10. requires that Flight Attendants who are on Reserve and going into a new Reserve month from days off must be available at 0001 for assignments and could be required to report for duty as early as 0500.  Remember that all assignments must be made in accordance with the provisions of our Contract and applicable F.A.R.S., such as 30-in-7, 1-in-7 and 24-in-7.