Source: New York Times
Author: Christine Negroni

New airplanes like the Airbus 380 and Boeing 777 that are capable of flying nonstop for as much as 20 hours are adding urgency to a question the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration have long wrestled with: How do you make sure the flight crews get enough sleep?

In October, the F.A.A. issued an operations bulletin for "ultra long-range flights” that doubled the amount of time pilots and flight attendants must remain at their overseas destination. The change to 48 hours from 24 is intended to make sure that flight crews get two full periods of sleep before making the return flight.

But seven airlines have asked the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to set aside the new requirements, arguing that they would impose “substantial burdens and costs.”

The F.A.A.'s plan was based on policies that Delta Air Lines had initiated when it began flying to Mumbai, India, in 2006. And Delta has filed a petition with the court arguing that a reversal of the rules could hurt its ability to “sustain safe and economically viable operations.” Delta argues that if other airlines do not have to apply at least some of those procedures on their ultra long-range flights, it will be at a competitive disadvantage.

“Primary components for pilots flying these flights are that they have a 24-hour rest in advance, a 48-hour layover at the destination and a 24-hour rest period after the flight,” said a Delta spokeswoman, Betsy Talton.

Delta also assigns two captains and two first officers to these flights, one crew to fly the plane and another to take over so the first crew can rest en route.

Stephen Powell, a Boeing 777 pilot who regularly flies to Shanghai, Mumbai and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for Delta, said he was happy that his airline was ahead of the industry in dealing with pilot fatigue. “We have a culture that embraces how important it is to get crew rest,” he said.

The disagreement is not over making sure that pilots are well rested but how to accomplish that. In suing the F.A.A., the seven airlines — American, Continental, JetBlue, United, US Airways and two cargo carriers, Atlas Air and Evergreen International — argue that not enough is known about preventing fatigue in an industry like aviation that works around the clock.

For many international flights leaving the United States, workdays begin at night. When crews arrive at the destination ready for bed, the sun is shining.

The F.A.A. has spent more than a decade studying the effects of fatigue on workers. Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, a former medical school professor and an expert in fatigue management, has contributed to this as part of a scientific study committee, but he said he did not support the idea that longer layovers would necessarily make more rested pilots.

“It"s the simple solution, but it is not the best solution,” said Dr. Moore-Ede, who also consults for American Airlines. He said that the longer one stays at the destination, the more acclimated the body becomes to the foreign time zone.

While Delta keeps its ultra long-range crews at their overseas destinations for 48 hours, American (with flights from Chicago to Delhi) and Continental (flying from Newark to Hong Kong and India) give their pilots 24 hours.

The different approaches present an opportunity to make comparisons that could lead to a more precise understanding of how to avoid fatigue. Dr. Moore-Ede suggests collecting data from each airline as they now operate.

“We can measure using the tools we have,” he said, “to answer important questions about how much rest the crew should have, when it should be and how long should the layover be before turning around and coming back again.”

How much time should be spent on the ground is not the only item in dispute. The F.A.A. is also weighing in on the number of pilots and in-flight sleeping accommodations.

Delta uses Boeing 777s with a private sitting-sleeping area for pilots above the cabin, just below the roof of the airplane. There, the pilots can change into pajamas and tuck themselves into a bed or sit in a business class-size seat and read. Three hours of that, Mr. Powell says, and he emerges refreshed. “We’re up there. It’s quiet. It’s really a good rest.”

Pilots flying American’s Boeing 777 airplanes to India can rest in a seat reserved for them in first class or crawl into a smaller, walled-off bunk area outside the cockpit.

“If you have any issues with cramped spaces, the bunk is useless,” said Scott Shankland, an American pilot. “You can’t sit up in the bunk. It is a horizontal position only. It’s not the most desirable, but it is horizontal.”

Mike Rossetti, a captain at American who is on the technical analysis and scheduling committee of the Allied Pilots Association, supports the F.A.A.’s changes.

“The safety of the entire operation critically depends on pilots and flight attendants being able to get adequate rest on the aircraft during the flight,” he said. “That’s why the quality and quantity of onboard rest facilities is so important.”

Continental Airlines began offering flights that could exceed 16 hours when it started service between Newark and Hong Kong in 2001. But it was not until Delta started its flight to Mumbai in 2006 that any agreement with the F.A.A. was worked out regarding crew rest, staff and layover policies.

The F.A.A.’s work with Delta was then modified and applied to other American carriers. Whether the F.A.A. has the right to impose those changes without subjecting them to public comment or conducting a cost benefit analysis, will be argued in court.

“To be clear, our reason for filing the lawsuit is because the F.A.A. did not follow the rulemaking process,” said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American, which is owned by AMR.

For years, reduction of accidents caused by human fatigue has been on the list of the 10 most important safety improvements at the National Transportation Safety Board. It has been looking at the issue not just for pilots and flight attendants but for maintenance workers and air traffic controllers.

“This is a real good start to have a dialogue,” Mr. Powell, the Delta pilot, said recently, chipper and optimistic before departing for a 16-hour flight to Shanghai. “This may be just the beginning.”