Originally Posted by
euslaner
Mandated rest periods for an 8:15 a.m. flight from IAD-EWR?
There were no weather conditions on 1/9. The FA on the EWR-IAD flight that left an hour late on 1/17 told my wife and I that he was turning right around and flying to Charlottesville.
Was this a UA mainline or UAex flight?
Entirely possible and relatively common; potential causes
- Upline mechanical caused delay, FA or pilot was late off duty, crew rest required.
- Upline weather caused delay, FA or pilot was late off duty, crew rest required.
- FA or pilot scheduled to fly trip called in sick, new FA had to be located and assigned the trip. IIRC FAs flying reserve [as opposed to ready reserve] have to be able to report within 60 minutes of being assigned the trip -- but that doesn't mean "on the plane" within 60 minutes.
- FA or pilot exceeded monthly maximums, had to be replaced, ...
Also, since it seems like mixed domiciled crews are the norm rather than the exception these days if you're on a mainline flight just because one FA is IAD based and/or he or she met minimum rest, that doesn't mean the entire crew had the same itinerary.
Rest regulations got tightened up a few years back (partially in response to Colgan 3407 and other fatigue-related incidents/near misses) including requiring airlines to submit and comply with a "Fatigue Management Plan" which increased rest requirements and rest-related delays, generally speaking.