Originally Posted by
Aspen
With the initial push back at 23.30 (SFO time) to switch off engine time in SYD 10.00 the block time would have been 15.5 hours so I figure if the flight had been delayed another 30 minutes they might have might not departed at all.
I think they would have called in a backup crew if the crew was going to go illegal. Given SFO is a major UA base, I am not sure this would be a problem in normal circumstances.
However, I think the 8 hour duty time limit for the flight deck is actual flying time and there is a higher limit for duty time. There may also be union rules that are more restrictive than the FAA rules.