Velcro Captain

I’m posting this to see if others are as concerned as I am about the new way AM Standbys are being assigned at the Purple Planet. Specifically, it seems AM-Standby crews have had their rest opportunities severely slashed, which results in a tremendous increase in fatigue. As most A-Reserve crewmembers know, it was common practice in the past to get an AM-Standby notification 10 or so hours in advance. Countless thousands of professional crewmembers who were assigned one of these Standbys would come in early to get a sleep-room by 9 or 10pm, some even earlier, to get four or so hours of sleep prior to the beginning of their Standby period. This opportunity for some pre-Standby rest is now gone, since all Standbys are now assigned after midnight.Several F/Os have told me of the extreme increase in fatigue this new assignment process has caused them. Recently, I got my first taste of it myself. I was called in for a Standby at 12:15am. I got to a sleep room at 1:45am. After a very short rest, the phone rang for a 3am show to fly to city #1. After getting to AOC, another phone call – Ooops, never mind the trip to city #1, we now want you go to city #2 with a 4am show. Pushed at 5am for an O&B. After landing at city #2, we were put on a GOC hold for a possible trip to city #3. Fortunately, the third leg did not materialize, but gosh were we fatigued when we eventually got back to the planet. For the company to take away our ability to get some pre-Standby rest in the sleep-room just seems like the wrong direction for us to go in right now. We’ve had three recent FCIFs telling us to show up “rested.” Those words seem really hollow in view of what’s been done to the AM-Standby crews. I’m not on the MD, but really feel for those MD folks who are stuck in this situation. I can’t imagine getting called for a Standby on the MD at 12:15, getting to AOC at 1:15am, then at 3am getting sent to NRT, CDG, VCP, etc.!! Yikes, what a fatigue-related waiting to happen! Hope I’m wrong of course – as we all know, we don’t need anymore s. Best wishes for everyone to keep things safe out there!

USMCFDX

Great observation. Please copy and paste you post and forward to the SIG, your ACP and PD (company SIG rep).

I completely understand the way that STBYs are being assigned to save money, and I makes sense to me. However, why not do the same assignment process 4 or 5 hours earlier.

ANCFRTDG

No matter what the circumstances IF YOU ARE TIRED AND FATIGUED DO NOT FLY THE TRIP!!!! When they can't man the flights they will change the policy or the proceedure. If you report and fly tired they will just "kick it up a notch" next month! If something should happen during the course of the flight the company will hide behind the FOM. Safety is the most important thing at stake here and I am amazed that after the NRT flight 80 "incident" the company is once again optimizing. It is important for the company to stay profitable but NOT at the expense of flight safety!!

fedupbusdriver

I experienced this last month. 12am call for a 130am stby. Got into the room at 115am, asleep by 2am, alerted at 3am for a launch to CYYC - KDTW. I will not do it again......

TheBaron

I'm assuming these STBY periods are assigned to you while on reserve. What if, instead of a STBY you were assigned a 13 1/2 duty hour trip on a 1 hour call out? If you are on reserve and you know the possibility exists that you may be called for a trip, isn't it your responsibility to be rested and prepared? A lot of people seem to treat reserve peroids as their own time and a trip assignment as an interference. It may be hard to do, but if you have reserve starting at midnight, you need to be resting during the day...not mowing the lawn, hitting the gym, buying groceries, etc.

kc10/c130

Baron- You are missing the point. If you go to bed at 9 and get the call to go at 12 for an O and B, this is much worse than that 13 1/2 hour trip, then you are still back early or are in a recliner asleep for a couple of hours at the out base. BUT this is not the NORM. The NORM now as Velcro posted is they set you up for failure. I go to bed at nine, get the call at 1201, go to AOC, go back to bed by 0130, and then get a call at 3-0430 to go fly. By assigning standbys much earlier in the day I would have 6 hours minimum for that 0300 call if I was at the sleep room at 9 at night. I concur with Velcro on this.

Gunter

POR on scheduling with CC to the SIG seems to be in order.

Yes, Baron, he is supposed to be rested. We HAD a great way to ensure 2-4 more hours of rest for the same trip call out but it's been flushed down the toilet. What we HAD was a good way to prevent fatigue that is realistic, not just directed.

Intentionally calling a guy in the middle of "normal" rest for a likely 3 or 4 A.M. show will be difficult to defend to anyone outside the company in the event something bad happens.

BadGolfer

I know it has been said already and want to say it again. We all need to draw a line in the sand when it comes to fatigue. I have made the call under personal anxiety about what will happen to me. I did have to explain myself to an ACP. I did feel a little intimidated. But at the end of the day, the ACP told me that with our schedules we will be fatigued and WE SHOULDNT FLY. He also told me the company cant do anything to us if we call in fatigued other than ask us for our recent history. It verified to me that I wont question myself again. If I am too tired, I will call in. If you look at the June bidpack, I get fatigued looking at the pairings. 10 hour layovers, late morning DH's for evening departures then hub turning. The company is sucking the life out of us. We cant help the bean counters unless we take a stand. I think we should talk to our legal reps at the union about the consequences about calling in fatigued. When I did mine recently, they wouldnt return my call after I left at least 3 messages. I talked to my ACP without representation and it was productive. ON the airport stby that started this thread, you are a better man than me. I would have pulled the plug at the out station. It makes me tired just listening to it. We dont need another incident. We all wont be flying. 4 more months and the privacy agreements on the Enders report will expire. Maybe we can get some information then.

NotsoFast

VC has a great point. I used to go in early for the STBY's as well and get a good four or five hours of sleep before they called me. I always prefer a trip to a stby when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Had one last month where the phone rang at midnight for a STBY, got there at 2, tried to fall asleep, then launched at 4am to a three leg out and back returned about 10:30. I was very tired by the last leg. Under the old system I would have had a good six hours of sleep, and would have been much more alert. I have been there for the fatigue call, if you really believe that is a no harm no foul thing, I got a bridge for sale you might be interested in. There will be additional paperwork and a phone call or two, but that is better than bending metal.

FedExBusBoy

You get the award for most unrealistic post of the day.........congrats!