Flight Attendant duty/reserve regulations

CamYZ125

Well-Known Member
First off, mods, feel free to move this post to the FA section. I posted it here because that section doesn't get a whole lot of traffic.


I have a question for everyone (specifically part 121 crew members) about flight attendant duty regulations. I was a pilot at a part 121 airline, and I'm not certain if the regulations I came to know apply to FA's as well. With that said:

As a reserve pilot at my former airline, my reserve shift was considered duty time. If I started my reserve shift at 0500, then I had to complete duty no later than 16 hours after that, or 2100. They could call me at 0500, or at 1200, or whenever they wanted during my reserve shift, and assign me a trip as long as I was released from duty prior to 2100.

I know someone working as a flight attendant for an airline which will remain unnamed. Supposedly this airline does not consider reserve time to be duty time. For example, she was on reserve today from 0800-2000. Around 1500, she was notified of a trip beginning around 1700. This just happens to be a transcon turn which does not terminate until approx 0700 tomorrow morning. What?! Is that legal? The airline says that her duty does not begin until she shows for the trip, in which case her duty time is about 14 hours. But everything that I have come to know, her duty time began at 0800... in which case her duty time is 23 hours!!

Is this legit? Part 121.467 talks about duty/rest time, and states that during a rest period a flight attendant must be released from ALL duty. So, if the company is not considering reserve time to be duty time, then it must be rest time and therefore she isn't required to answer her phone at all on reserve, right?

In my opinion, this is in violation of the FAR's. But I guess I don't know everything about all the regulations which govern flight attendants. Her supervisor says "It's legal, and we've been doing it for years". I call BS...

Input?
 
When you're on RSV, you're not "on duty", but you're not "on rest" either. "Ready Reserve", "Airport Standby", "Hot Reserve", or whatever you call it when a F/A is sitting RSV at the airport, in uniform, ready to fly is duty, but sitting at home RSV is not.

I don't have a copy of the 2010 FC FARs around, but I'm 99.99% sure that assignment is perfectly legal. Have her check her contract for specific scheduling questions, or call a union rep for clarification. They may be able to help more than people here can.
 
What Amber said.

Our FAs use to go under pilot duty rules, but recently they changed it so reserve time (at home) does not count as duty time. It's pretty normal now to see an FA who started reserve at 5am be called out at 5pm to fly until 1am. It sucks and hopefully it will be changed some time either by FAR or CBA.
 
That's what the company is saying, only airport reserve and trips are considered duty time.

I don't understand why it differs between pilots and flight attendants. If reserve time is considered duty time for a pilot, why isn't it for a flight attendant?

How is this safe? She'll have been up for over 24 hours by the time she's released tomorrow...
 
Per diem, at least as I know it, is paid from check in time to release time.

Oh and my reserve duty is 24 hours for up to 6 straight days!
 
Jeez, I don't know how you guys do it! On reserve for 24/6?! There's no time to drink!!

Thanks for the replies, everyone.
 
Jeez, I don't know how you guys do it! On reserve for 24/6?! There's no time to drink!!

Thanks for the replies, everyone.


Usually it doesn't bother me (the not drinking part). The other day was the exception. I was at a great Portuguese restaurant in EWR that has wonderful and I do mean wonderful sangria. I was all set to order a glass but the BF reminded me I was on RES. Damnnnnn. :(
 
If you're on call for 24 hours a day how can you ever have gotten rest to be legal for the assignment they want to give you?
 
If you're on call for 24 hours a day how can you ever have gotten rest to be legal for the assignment they want to give you?

Because they don't consider being on call duty time.

Yeah, that's the part I can't get my head around either... if you are REQUIRED to answer your phone, then you're doing company business, aka duty time. If you ask me...
 
god, and i thought i had been screwed on duty times as a pilot before... Nothing compared to 24/6.
 
Only control seats are regulated by the FAA, everything else is contractual. same goes for deadheading.
 
god, and i thought i had been screwed on duty times as a pilot before... Nothing compared to 24/6.


On paper it looks bad, but the reality is different. I usually either have a pairing added (with plenty of lead time) or they drop some of the RSV days. If they call me when a trip comes up that will cut into those dropped RSV days, I can either accept or decline the assignment! :)
 
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