Tired pilots and leather matress
Apr 15, 1999 | 11:26 am
#1
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Pasadena, CA. USA
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Tired pilots and leather matress
Very interesting article... a good piece by Ms. Brannigan
April 15, 1999
Page One Feature
Tired Delta Crew Diverts Flight,
Blames Cramped New Berths
By MARTHA BRANNIGAN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Just how tired were Delta Air Lines Capt. Roscoe McMillan and his crew last Wednesday when he diverted his Atlanta-to-Tokyo flight to Portland, Ore., and called it a day?
Too tired, in his judgment, based on more than 30 years as a Delta pilot, to continue safely with the 14-hour journey to Narita International Airport, according to what the captain told Delta officials. The problem: Two of the other pilots couldn't sleep in the aircraft's controversial new berths, and based on earlier experience, Capt. McMillan figured he couldn't either.
"The captain felt the crew had not had satisfactory rest," says Bill Berry, a Delta spokesman.
An Uncommon Reason
Delta management, however, isn't so sure. Mr. Berry says this is the first time a pilot has diverted a flight because of the new beds, which Delta began installing in December on its long-haul McDonnell Douglas MD-11s. And while flights are sometimes cut short when bad weather or other delays eat up the pilots' legal flying time, Mr. Berry says he is unaware of any diversions caused when a captain pronounced himself or his crew too tired to finish the job.
But Capt. McMillan, who has a perfect flying record and a reputation for being outspoken, has been campaigning against the bunks from the start. In a recent posting on the pilots' union's private Web site, he wrote of the new setup: "I think it stinks."
He isn't a lone crusader. Delta pilots who fly the planes, backed by their union, hate the new type of bunk, which they have dubbed "the coffin." This replaces "the condo," -- pilot parlance for the more comfortable and spacious precursor. Since the switch, union officials say they have received a litany of complaints from MD-11 pilots that the new bunks impair their on-board rest. No other U.S. passenger carrier uses the newer type.
Delta adopted the new berths as part of a redesign of its international service, scrapping First Class and reconfiguring its long-range jets with an upgraded Business Elite class. Among other things, the new bunks allow for more seats, which Delta says will translate into $40 million in additional revenue from the five altered planes over the next five years.
Whatever the beds' benefits, the Air Line Pilots Association has filed a grievance against Delta over them and has lodged a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration that they don't meet federal guidelines. (The FAA hasn't yet ruled on the complaint.)
Delta says that the beds don't pose a safety problem and that it has offered to make substantial changes to address pilots' concerns. Meanwhile, Delta is itself investigating the incident on Flight 55. If the airline determines that it was a union stunt rather than a safety decision, Capt. McMillan, who is 59 years old and is scheduled to retire in 11 months, could be dismissed.
A CEO Out of Sorts
Leo F. Mullin, Delta's chief executive officer, is furious and has registered his displeasure with the union chief. After all, 110 passengers on Flight 55 were inconvenienced for several hours, as were passengers on Flight 51, Portland to Tokyo, which was held up to accommodate the Atlanta passengers.
There's no doubt that the FAA considers tired pilots a safety hazard. Pilots aren't allowed to fly more than eight hours without rest. Sleeping quarters are required on all flights of 12 hours or more, and such flights use double crews so two pilots can fly the plane while two rest.
That was the setup on Flight 55 out of Atlanta on April 7. The crew included Capt. McMillan and his first officer, Randy Young, plus a relief crew, Capt. Bob Pfister and his first officer, Steve Petroski. The jet left the gate at 10:47 a.m. All four men worked the cockpit until the plane reached cruising altitude. Around noon, the two relief pilots slipped back to Business Class to eat and then catch some shut-eye.
Before they could turn in, though, the off-duty pilots had to engage in a process that many pilots complain is humiliating and time consuming: assembling their berths. Located in view of the front passenger cabin, just behind the left front door of the cockpit, the double compartment pulls out like a telescope from a space that once housed a lavatory. Once fully extended and locked in place, the bunks block the left front door of the aircraft -- a concern to some pilots.
The upper bunk stretches 6 feet 11 inches, while the bottom is 6 feet 5 inches. Both are roughly 30 inches wide and are fitted with slim leather mattresses and pillows. Before they can insert themselves into their bunks, the pilots must hang 2-inch-thick noise-deadening drapes that attach to the ceiling and wrap around the unit. The whole process takes as long as 20 minutes.
"It's like the Three Stooges putting up a doll house," says Delta Capt. Bud Musser, chairman of the international safety committee for the pilots' union. "It's free entertainment for Business Class passengers."
Certainly, it's a far cry from the days of "the condo," a comparatively expansive two-bed rectangular unit in the center of the Business Class cabin, 5 feet 1 1/2 inches wide, 6 feet 8 inches long and 6 feet 11 inches high. No assembly required. And pilots could stand inside and put on their pajamas before reclining on comfortable bunks. A light, unavailable in the new bunks, told them when the lavatory was occupied.
On Flight 55, the pilots changed into their sleepwear in the cockpit, stepped into the Business Class cabin, and tucked themselves in. Toilets in the lavatory a few feet away flushed. Bells and alarms from the cockpit throbbed through the less-than-soundproof curtains. A buzzer sounded each time a cockpit door opened. The beverage carts clanged and bumped one end of the unit. After about 2 1/2 hours, the pilots returned to the cockpit and told Capt. McMillan they hadn't gotten any sleep.
Language Barriers
Capt. McMillan, who is a little over 6 feet tall and of medium build and who had flown this route before, was skeptical he would do any better when his break came. By this time, the aircraft was over northern Canada and headed over the North Pole. Capt. McMillan asked whether the crew thought they would be at the top of their game in 10 more hours, when they would be dealing with Russian and Japanese air-traffic controllers whose English isn't always perfect.
That's when Capt. McMillan called a Delta dispatcher to say the crew was too tired to complete the trip and was planning to divert. At first, the puzzled dispatcher misunderstood. Speaking in sky code, he asked the captain if he was being hijacked. Capt. McMillan reiterated that the crew was fatigued.
Capt. McMillan and the dispatcher decided that the plane should land in Portland, where Delta could put the passengers on another flight to Tokyo. Over the loudspeakers, Capt. McMillan broke the news to the 110 passengers, who had completed the first of their journey's three scheduled food-and-beverage services. Because of the "configuration" of the airplane that day, he told them, they were unable to continue to Tokyo.
The plane landed in Portland at 3:26 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, seven hours and 39 minutes after leaving Atlanta. The passengers were directed to Flight 51, held over from its scheduled 1:05 departure. The crew spent the night in a Portland hotel and returned to Atlanta on Thursday.
On Friday, Capt. McMillan and the rest of the crew were summoned to explain the matter to several members of Delta management, including two chief pilots and Capt. Michael J. Quiello, system manager of international operations for Delta.
A 'Premeditated' Act?
After the pilots, who took along a couple of union representatives, told their story, the managers questioned whether Capt. McMillan had "premeditated" his move. That notion could derive from his previous complaints about the beds on the pilots' union's Web site. Of the reverse Narita-to-Atlanta flight, he has written: "This trip snatches the diurnal cycles of the best of us through a knot hole. You are tired anyway, but if you can't sleep on board, then fatigue will paralyze you."
And recounting a colleague's experience on that route, he wrote: "Had I been in charge, had the leg been longer than 12 hours, had weather and possible delays been involved, and had there been a crew member who could not sleep as there obviously was this day, then I would have stopped in Portland or some other place short of the destination."
The union is standing by Capt. McMillan. "He made his decision based on the safety of the flight and the belief that the crew members were not adequately rested," says Karen McGuffey, a union spokeswoman.
Even Delta's Capt. Quiello, who is part of the team scrutinizing the incident, acknowledges that the decision in such situations is ultimately the pilot's. "We trust our captains implicitly," he says, "until we have reason not to."
---------------------------------------------
URL for this Article:
http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB924064192774505832.djm
April 15, 1999
Page One Feature
Tired Delta Crew Diverts Flight,
Blames Cramped New Berths
By MARTHA BRANNIGAN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Just how tired were Delta Air Lines Capt. Roscoe McMillan and his crew last Wednesday when he diverted his Atlanta-to-Tokyo flight to Portland, Ore., and called it a day?
Too tired, in his judgment, based on more than 30 years as a Delta pilot, to continue safely with the 14-hour journey to Narita International Airport, according to what the captain told Delta officials. The problem: Two of the other pilots couldn't sleep in the aircraft's controversial new berths, and based on earlier experience, Capt. McMillan figured he couldn't either.
"The captain felt the crew had not had satisfactory rest," says Bill Berry, a Delta spokesman.
An Uncommon Reason
Delta management, however, isn't so sure. Mr. Berry says this is the first time a pilot has diverted a flight because of the new beds, which Delta began installing in December on its long-haul McDonnell Douglas MD-11s. And while flights are sometimes cut short when bad weather or other delays eat up the pilots' legal flying time, Mr. Berry says he is unaware of any diversions caused when a captain pronounced himself or his crew too tired to finish the job.
But Capt. McMillan, who has a perfect flying record and a reputation for being outspoken, has been campaigning against the bunks from the start. In a recent posting on the pilots' union's private Web site, he wrote of the new setup: "I think it stinks."
He isn't a lone crusader. Delta pilots who fly the planes, backed by their union, hate the new type of bunk, which they have dubbed "the coffin." This replaces "the condo," -- pilot parlance for the more comfortable and spacious precursor. Since the switch, union officials say they have received a litany of complaints from MD-11 pilots that the new bunks impair their on-board rest. No other U.S. passenger carrier uses the newer type.
Delta adopted the new berths as part of a redesign of its international service, scrapping First Class and reconfiguring its long-range jets with an upgraded Business Elite class. Among other things, the new bunks allow for more seats, which Delta says will translate into $40 million in additional revenue from the five altered planes over the next five years.
Whatever the beds' benefits, the Air Line Pilots Association has filed a grievance against Delta over them and has lodged a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration that they don't meet federal guidelines. (The FAA hasn't yet ruled on the complaint.)
Delta says that the beds don't pose a safety problem and that it has offered to make substantial changes to address pilots' concerns. Meanwhile, Delta is itself investigating the incident on Flight 55. If the airline determines that it was a union stunt rather than a safety decision, Capt. McMillan, who is 59 years old and is scheduled to retire in 11 months, could be dismissed.
A CEO Out of Sorts
Leo F. Mullin, Delta's chief executive officer, is furious and has registered his displeasure with the union chief. After all, 110 passengers on Flight 55 were inconvenienced for several hours, as were passengers on Flight 51, Portland to Tokyo, which was held up to accommodate the Atlanta passengers.
There's no doubt that the FAA considers tired pilots a safety hazard. Pilots aren't allowed to fly more than eight hours without rest. Sleeping quarters are required on all flights of 12 hours or more, and such flights use double crews so two pilots can fly the plane while two rest.
That was the setup on Flight 55 out of Atlanta on April 7. The crew included Capt. McMillan and his first officer, Randy Young, plus a relief crew, Capt. Bob Pfister and his first officer, Steve Petroski. The jet left the gate at 10:47 a.m. All four men worked the cockpit until the plane reached cruising altitude. Around noon, the two relief pilots slipped back to Business Class to eat and then catch some shut-eye.
Before they could turn in, though, the off-duty pilots had to engage in a process that many pilots complain is humiliating and time consuming: assembling their berths. Located in view of the front passenger cabin, just behind the left front door of the cockpit, the double compartment pulls out like a telescope from a space that once housed a lavatory. Once fully extended and locked in place, the bunks block the left front door of the aircraft -- a concern to some pilots.
The upper bunk stretches 6 feet 11 inches, while the bottom is 6 feet 5 inches. Both are roughly 30 inches wide and are fitted with slim leather mattresses and pillows. Before they can insert themselves into their bunks, the pilots must hang 2-inch-thick noise-deadening drapes that attach to the ceiling and wrap around the unit. The whole process takes as long as 20 minutes.
"It's like the Three Stooges putting up a doll house," says Delta Capt. Bud Musser, chairman of the international safety committee for the pilots' union. "It's free entertainment for Business Class passengers."
Certainly, it's a far cry from the days of "the condo," a comparatively expansive two-bed rectangular unit in the center of the Business Class cabin, 5 feet 1 1/2 inches wide, 6 feet 8 inches long and 6 feet 11 inches high. No assembly required. And pilots could stand inside and put on their pajamas before reclining on comfortable bunks. A light, unavailable in the new bunks, told them when the lavatory was occupied.
On Flight 55, the pilots changed into their sleepwear in the cockpit, stepped into the Business Class cabin, and tucked themselves in. Toilets in the lavatory a few feet away flushed. Bells and alarms from the cockpit throbbed through the less-than-soundproof curtains. A buzzer sounded each time a cockpit door opened. The beverage carts clanged and bumped one end of the unit. After about 2 1/2 hours, the pilots returned to the cockpit and told Capt. McMillan they hadn't gotten any sleep.
Language Barriers
Capt. McMillan, who is a little over 6 feet tall and of medium build and who had flown this route before, was skeptical he would do any better when his break came. By this time, the aircraft was over northern Canada and headed over the North Pole. Capt. McMillan asked whether the crew thought they would be at the top of their game in 10 more hours, when they would be dealing with Russian and Japanese air-traffic controllers whose English isn't always perfect.
That's when Capt. McMillan called a Delta dispatcher to say the crew was too tired to complete the trip and was planning to divert. At first, the puzzled dispatcher misunderstood. Speaking in sky code, he asked the captain if he was being hijacked. Capt. McMillan reiterated that the crew was fatigued.
Capt. McMillan and the dispatcher decided that the plane should land in Portland, where Delta could put the passengers on another flight to Tokyo. Over the loudspeakers, Capt. McMillan broke the news to the 110 passengers, who had completed the first of their journey's three scheduled food-and-beverage services. Because of the "configuration" of the airplane that day, he told them, they were unable to continue to Tokyo.
The plane landed in Portland at 3:26 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, seven hours and 39 minutes after leaving Atlanta. The passengers were directed to Flight 51, held over from its scheduled 1:05 departure. The crew spent the night in a Portland hotel and returned to Atlanta on Thursday.
On Friday, Capt. McMillan and the rest of the crew were summoned to explain the matter to several members of Delta management, including two chief pilots and Capt. Michael J. Quiello, system manager of international operations for Delta.
A 'Premeditated' Act?
After the pilots, who took along a couple of union representatives, told their story, the managers questioned whether Capt. McMillan had "premeditated" his move. That notion could derive from his previous complaints about the beds on the pilots' union's Web site. Of the reverse Narita-to-Atlanta flight, he has written: "This trip snatches the diurnal cycles of the best of us through a knot hole. You are tired anyway, but if you can't sleep on board, then fatigue will paralyze you."
And recounting a colleague's experience on that route, he wrote: "Had I been in charge, had the leg been longer than 12 hours, had weather and possible delays been involved, and had there been a crew member who could not sleep as there obviously was this day, then I would have stopped in Portland or some other place short of the destination."
The union is standing by Capt. McMillan. "He made his decision based on the safety of the flight and the belief that the crew members were not adequately rested," says Karen McGuffey, a union spokeswoman.
Even Delta's Capt. Quiello, who is part of the team scrutinizing the incident, acknowledges that the decision in such situations is ultimately the pilot's. "We trust our captains implicitly," he says, "until we have reason not to."
---------------------------------------------
URL for this Article:
http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB924064192774505832.djm
Apr 15, 1999 | 2:47 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Cambridge, MA 02138
Posts: 2,104
What an interesting story - thank you for taking the time to post it.
Personally, I applaud the Captain of that Delta flight for standing up for he believes in. Perhaps it was a bit unfair to the passengers, but perhaps some good will come out of it.
Personally, I applaud the Captain of that Delta flight for standing up for he believes in. Perhaps it was a bit unfair to the passengers, but perhaps some good will come out of it.
Apr 15, 1999 | 6:20 pm
#4
Commander Catcop
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 10,259
It's is brave the captain had the courage to speak up. Delta should just let him finish out his time and then retire and LEAVE HIM ALONE.
WOuld Delta had preferred the captain to pass out over the Pacific?
One of my first flights on American -- we were flying around for six hours over Pittsburgh and then landed then the crew said "Our contract says we worked passed the number of hours to be considered in healthy and safe order." So the passengers were grounded.
Initially I was furious but after learning of what could happen maybe I should have been thankful.
I notice also on some of teh U-A pacific flights the crew sleeps in a section between business and coach with big signs saying "Crew resting, be quiet or talk low." Of course most passengers ignore it.
WOuld Delta had preferred the captain to pass out over the Pacific?
One of my first flights on American -- we were flying around for six hours over Pittsburgh and then landed then the crew said "Our contract says we worked passed the number of hours to be considered in healthy and safe order." So the passengers were grounded.
Initially I was furious but after learning of what could happen maybe I should have been thankful.
I notice also on some of teh U-A pacific flights the crew sleeps in a section between business and coach with big signs saying "Crew resting, be quiet or talk low." Of course most passengers ignore it.
Apr 16, 1999 | 1:12 am
#5
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This incident has messed up Delta's asian flight schedule. Today I flew Delta MCO/ATL/PDX/SEA. The ATL/PDX flt was suppose to be a MD-11 with the new Business Elite seats. The gate agent in MCO confirmed this when I checked in. Upon arrive in ATL, my flt to PDX was on a old L1011. It seems they have decided to use the L1011 from ATL to PDX. If you are flying form ATL to ***, your one-stop flt has turned into a plane change in PDX. Just another reason to fly less on Delta.
Apr 16, 1999 | 1:36 am
#6
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Hong Kong soon to be London
Posts: 208
I spend enough time in the air that I consider safety to be a significant concern. However, this sounds like yet another example of the coddled pilots whining in a fashion that would make even the most spoiled child blush. These guys make $150,000+ per year and only work 6 days a month. You would think they could stay awake for 10 hours per day.
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Cheers,
HKF
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Cheers,
HKF
Apr 16, 1999 | 5:59 pm
#8
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Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 2,686
I'm not so sure I agree, HKF--I have this image of a pop-top camper that the pilot has to rig up (I'll grant that I've never seen this apparatus) that I'm not sure would be either comfortable or private.
Apr 18, 1999 | 9:14 am
#9
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It's times like this when I wonder if unions are controlling the airlines....look what happened last summer to Air Canada, Northwest and then American. Not to mention, Air France (always), Alitalia and even dare I say, BA?
In Asia, we have our share of problems too. Cathay Pacific has one of the strongest unions in the Asia-Pacific region and so does Philippine Airlines (but then look at the state of its management). True, unions may be protecting their workers but in the end the fare paying passenger suffers.
Reminds of an incident about maybe 10 years or so ago when some pilots threatened a strike over at Singapore Airlines. The talk of strike loomed so much over the horizon that the then Prime Minister of Singapore stepped in and threatened to disband the entire company and then rehire new pilots altogether. Something he said which could be done overnight. No strike. No problems. No more complaints.
In Asia, we have our share of problems too. Cathay Pacific has one of the strongest unions in the Asia-Pacific region and so does Philippine Airlines (but then look at the state of its management). True, unions may be protecting their workers but in the end the fare paying passenger suffers.
Reminds of an incident about maybe 10 years or so ago when some pilots threatened a strike over at Singapore Airlines. The talk of strike loomed so much over the horizon that the then Prime Minister of Singapore stepped in and threatened to disband the entire company and then rehire new pilots altogether. Something he said which could be done overnight. No strike. No problems. No more complaints.
Apr 18, 1999 | 7:31 pm
#11
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Location: Hong Kong soon to be London
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"True, unions may be protecting their workers but in the end the fare paying passenger suffers."
I am sure the workers are very grateful. Let's ask the employees of Pan Am, Eastern, PAL, Braniff, etc., etc.
------------------
Cheers,
HKF
I am sure the workers are very grateful. Let's ask the employees of Pan Am, Eastern, PAL, Braniff, etc., etc.
------------------
Cheers,
HKF
Apr 19, 1999 | 9:58 pm
#12
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I don't know about the rest of you, but I have trouble sleeping on a plane.
After a 12 hour flight without sleep, I don't feel safe driving a car, let alone trying to land a plane if problems developed.
After a 12 hour flight without sleep, I don't feel safe driving a car, let alone trying to land a plane if problems developed.
Apr 19, 1999 | 10:33 pm
#13
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Hong Kong soon to be London
Posts: 208
I realize that many people have difficulty sleeping on planes, but most people are able to sleep in a business class seat. Some hardy souls can even sleep in coach! If a long haul pilot is the sort of person who cannot, by nature, take a nap in a flat 6'11" bunk it may be time for him to seek alternative employment.
In any event, being awake for 12 hours should not constitute sleep deprivation for anyone out of infancy.
My interpretation of this article is that the pilots do not like the "indignity" of having to make their own beds.
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Cheers,
HKF
[This message has been edited by Hong Kong Flyer (edited 04-19-99).]
In any event, being awake for 12 hours should not constitute sleep deprivation for anyone out of infancy.
My interpretation of this article is that the pilots do not like the "indignity" of having to make their own beds.
------------------
Cheers,
HKF
[This message has been edited by Hong Kong Flyer (edited 04-19-99).]
Apr 20, 1999 | 9:45 am
#15
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Gee, I wonder how the pilots of the B-2's do it. 15 hours over, drop your bombs, 15 hours back. Nothing so nice as a pop-up-camper nor even a pup tent to ease themselves into sleep. (Oh yeah, don't forget the mid-air refuelings that are also required).
Cheers,
'toad
Cheers,
'toad