(This applies to Air Canada Mainline only)
In our March 2019 bulletin entitled “Crew Rest Unit Failure Reporting Procedures”, we provided information regarding the procedures to follow when a CRU failure has been logged and verified by maintenance and the Captain. If you missed that bulletin, please click HERE.
In February of this year, the Company made a change to its onboard rest policy. It is our understanding from Air Canada Occupational Health and Safety that no additional statement will be accompanying this change in policy. The Component Crew Rest Committee would like to inform the membership of this new recommendation/procedure regarding the OFAR.
When cabin crew are contractually permitted to use the OFAR for rest purposes, there may be instances when the dedicated Service Director (SD) bunk is unoccupied. Due to the location of the OFAR handset, particularly on the B777, it can be more challenging to make or receive important safety related interphone calls if the SD bunk is unoccupied. The Crew Rest Committee has discussed this matter with Air Canada Health and Safety. The following policy has been added to ePub (ePub/The Flight/In The Air/Crew Breaks and Onboard Rest):
“The bunk, equipped with the interphone, is reserved for the use of the Service Director in priority. When the bunk is not in use by the Service Director, the bunk can be occupied by another cabin crew member. The interphone must be accessible at all times”
This change in policy is non-punitive and is a recommendation meant to enhance safety. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Local or the Component Crew Rest Committee.
In Solidarity,
Component Crew Rest Committee