Management at JetBlue Airlines is preparing to seek an exemption from the FAA's eight-hour flight and duty time regulations to study pilot performance and fatigue during transcontinental turnarounds and to possibly reengineer flight schedules in a more "productive" manner.
A communication from JetBlue Chief Pilot Peter Russo to his pilots outlines the need to "study" pilot fatigue resulting from what he calls "contra-circadian" flying-flight time during hours that people normally sleep. This study is part of an "Alertness Management Program" that he is instituting on that property that includes education, behavior modification, and schedule modification components.
ALPA's president, Capt. Duane Woerth, personally informed the FAA administrator "in the strongest possible terms" that ALPA will vigorously oppose granting this exemption and "all the copycat exemption requests that will surely follow for competitive reasons." He said, "The inadequacy of the current flight and duty time limitations are well known to all, especially as the duty day limit-16 hours-is ridiculous." For nearly 10 years, "the FAA has promised Congress an NPRM to address all of these scientifically proven shortcomings," Capt. Woerth observed. "Yet, as of the end of the first quarter 2005, no NPRM is in sight or even discussed."
Capt. Woerth warned that "allowing JetBlue management or any airline official to cherry-pick the rules by exemption cannot be tolerated."
UNBELIEVABLE...YOU GUYS SHOULD STOP THIS OUTRAGEOUS BULLSHIT! :down: :down: :down: :angry:
A communication from JetBlue Chief Pilot Peter Russo to his pilots outlines the need to "study" pilot fatigue resulting from what he calls "contra-circadian" flying-flight time during hours that people normally sleep. This study is part of an "Alertness Management Program" that he is instituting on that property that includes education, behavior modification, and schedule modification components.
ALPA's president, Capt. Duane Woerth, personally informed the FAA administrator "in the strongest possible terms" that ALPA will vigorously oppose granting this exemption and "all the copycat exemption requests that will surely follow for competitive reasons." He said, "The inadequacy of the current flight and duty time limitations are well known to all, especially as the duty day limit-16 hours-is ridiculous." For nearly 10 years, "the FAA has promised Congress an NPRM to address all of these scientifically proven shortcomings," Capt. Woerth observed. "Yet, as of the end of the first quarter 2005, no NPRM is in sight or even discussed."
Capt. Woerth warned that "allowing JetBlue management or any airline official to cherry-pick the rules by exemption cannot be tolerated."
UNBELIEVABLE...YOU GUYS SHOULD STOP THIS OUTRAGEOUS BULLSHIT! :down: :down: :down: :angry: