days until our Collective Agreement expires, we are preparing, we are united and we will make change.

Insert 4 – Duty Periods

The maximum duty periods vary depending on the type of flight you are operating as outlined in Appendix II of the current Collective Agreement.   Once the duty period is projected to exceed these duty period limitations, you have the right to book crew rest or to exceed the duty period.  Exceeding the duty period attracts the new 50% duty period extension premium. The new Article B5.02.03.03.04 reads as follows:

Duty Period Extension Premium

A premium will be paid to employees who volunteer to exceed their absolute maximum duty period limitation, pursuant to Article B5.02.03.03. This premium will be fifty percent (50%) of his/her regular rate of pay on all flight time credits involved in that duty period.

NOTE 1:  The premium will apply to DPG

NOTE 2:  The premium will be for pay purposes only

NOTE 3:  The premium will apply to reserve employees

NOTE 4:  Employees operating flights pursuant to Article B14, as well as pursuant to Letters of Understanding 18 and 22, may also volunteer for an extension premium.

If you elect to take crew rest, you are not subject to reassignment and you are not pay protected for the value of your pairing. You will, however,  be protected to your minimum guarantee, 65 hours for Regular block holders or 70 hours for Reserves.

After the completion of crew rest, you may make yourself available for open flying (“make up”).  You are also not entitled to any duty period guarantees for waiting at the airport if your decision was to not exceed your duty period.  The In charge, however, may file an E-Claim for ground duty if service was provided to passengers onboard.  You may be able to  claim a meal expense if you remained on duty over an entire meal period as outlined in Article 7 of the Collective Agreement.

How do you calculate if you are going to exceed your duty period?    Let’s take a look at a pairing.

EQP

FLTNO

 

DEP

 

 

ARV

DAY

NIGHT

TOTAL

DUTY

767

993

YYZ 

08:35

 

MEX 

12:40

440

025

505

 

767

992

MEX 

14:25

 

YYZ 

19:50

425

 

425

1240

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOCK

930

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAFB

1240

TOTAL

 

905

025

 

1240

 

The  duty column indicates 12:40.  Since it is a regular domestic flight, the maximum duty period is 13 hours.  You started your duty period at 7:25 (1h 10 prior to flight departure for B767), therefore, you are “illegal” unless you can be released from duty at 20:25.  (7:25 + 13hrs = 20:25)

Having a scheduled duty period of 12h55 does not necessarily mean that a 5 minute delay will cause you to exceed your duty period.  There is a 1h45 turn time on the ground in MEX, which can be reduced to a “minimum turn around time.”  The MTA depends on the type of turn destination and aircraft type.

The easiest way to find the MTA is through the “Display Flight Routing” function on RES III, prior to departing on a flight.  You can sign into this feature on the computers in the comm. centres by typing:

//eas fl 111 ops parade

Once you are in, type:=;dfr 993/..

If you want to see tomorrows’ flight, change the double dot “..” to a double comma“,,”.

You will see:

=;DFR 993/

A/C

CFG

FM

DEP

VAR

TO

ARR

VAR

MTRUPAX

RSN

622MD

00/207

YYZ

0835

 

MEX

1238

 

00/200

XXX

TURN TO 992/05OCT TA01:47

MTA01:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

The minimum turn time is found on the last line under MTA.  On this flight, the MTA is 1h10.

Another option is to ask the pilots for a DFR, a document that they usually have on hand that also provides this information.

Let’s say that flight 993 takes a delay in Toronto, and the new scheduled departure time is 10:00.  The Captain tells you that the flight time will be as sched
uled.  To calculate if you are projected to exceed your duty period :

New Departure             10:00

Flight time – 993          05:05

MTA                            01:10

Flight time – 992          04:25

15 min. Post duty             :15     

                                  20:55

NOTE: If the Captain indicates longer or shorter flight time than originally scheduled, you must use the time provided by the Captain.

Since you have already established that you must be released from duty by 20:25, you are now illegal for this flight.

Once the duty period is projected to exceed the limitation based on the official forecasted flight times, each employee must inform the In-Charge of his/her decision to exceed the limitation and receive the premium or take crew rest.

If  you have decided to exceed the limitation, you may only change your mind if there is a further extension  of the duty period.

If the employee elects to exceed their duty period, all flights contained in that duty period will attract a 50% premium. If there is any doubt, confusion or disagreement about the calculations of the duty period and you are unable to contact your local Union office,  ensure that you clearly state that you do not agree with the Company’s calculations but are nevertheless willing to exceed your duty period and will be claiming the premium.  Make notes about who you spoke with at crew scheduling and report the incident to your Local upon return.

The Company is within their rights to make you operate the flight to MEX and have you layover in MEX.  The Company, not the employee, decides where crew rest will be taken.  This does not mean that your duty period is increased  to 15 hours upon arrival in MEX.  If the original delay which caused you to exceed your duty day occurred while at a crew base, you cannot be scheduled to operate back.  The “duty period extensions when not at a crew base” only apply if the original delay occurs away from home base.

Where the employee decides to take crew rest, the employee cannot deadhead to home base, unless s/he arrives at home base within scheduled duty period.  The only exception is if a deadhead to home base was scheduled in the original pairing, then the duty period can be scheduled to complete the deadhead within 15/16 hours (depending on whether it is domestic or overseas) provided the operational flying is within 13/14 hours.

In the above example, if the outbound flight operated on time, and a 2 hour delay occurred in MEX, you would still be legal to operate the return flight. Because you are not at a crew base, the duty period becomes 15 hours, therefore, you are legal to operate back to YYZ as long as you arrive prior to 22:25.  The calculation would be as follows:

Original duty period start time   07:25

15 hr duty period extension       15:00

When not a crew base                                               

                                              22:25

Since the delay occurred away from a crew base, you are now legal to work as long as your duty period does not extend beyond 22:25.

To figure out if you will are still legal to operate the return flight:

Delayed dep. Time        16:25

Flight time – 992           04:25

15 min. Post duty              :15    

                                   21:05 

Therefore you remain legal to operate the return flight.