The American Airlines pilots union said Friday it has been told by the head of the Federal Aviation Administration that the agency will begin strictly enforcing crew rest regulations by the end of the year. The report came three days after American Airlines Flight 1420 crashed at Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field, at the end of a long work day for the two-person flight crew. The FAA said the decision was not crash-related. Under federal law, airline pilots cannot fly more than eight hours in a 24-hour period. They also must be able to rest for eight hours in that same span.
Pilots say airlines routinely violate the spirit of the rest rules, especially with backup crews.
They can be on standby status for days without being told when they should be resting. For example, a reserve pilot might awaken at 7 a.m. and not be told of a 10 p.m. flight assignment until 8 p.m. The pilot might then be expected to complete his allotted eight flight hours over a 10-hour period. In such a case, the pilot would be awake for 27 consecutive hours. Within 24 hours, he should have received eight hours of rest.