How many hours before flight time are cockpit and cabin crew required to cease alcohol comsumption?

I want to say that I read somewhere that anyone actually flying the plane (captain and first officer) have to stop 12 hours beforehand. But I might be making that up. As for FAs, I have no clue

In the US you may not act as a required crewmember if:
- you have consumed alcohol in the past 8 hours
- have a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or higher
- are under the influence of alcohol

Not much wiggle room there!

I seem to recall that some airlines are stricter than the FAA requirements and have a 12 hour rule for pilots, at least.

I know that for GA pilots it's the old 8hrs bottle to throttle.
Commercial crew is 12hrs...

This is the only regulation that anyone needs to know - anything an individual carrier applies to its workforce over and above this is simply insurance.

The whole regulation for ANY airline employee covered under Part 121 rules:

TITLE 14--AERONAUTICSAND SPACE

CHAPTER I--FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
(CONTINUED)

PART 121--OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL
OPERATIONS--Table of Contents

Subpart O--Crewmember Qualifications

Sec. 121.458 Misuse of alcohol.

(a) General. This section applies to employees who perform a
function listed in appendix J to this part for a certificate holder
(covered employees). For the purpose of this section, a person who meets
the definition of covered employee in appendix J is considered to be
performing the function for the certificate holder.
(b) Alcohol concentration. No covered employee shall report for duty
or remain on duty requiring the performance of safety-sensitive
functions while having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater. No
certificate holder having actual knowledge that an employee has an
alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater shall permit the employee to
perform or continue to perform safety-sensitive functions.
(c) On-duty use. No covered employee shall use alcohol while
performing safety-sensitive functions. No certificate holder having
actual knowledge that a covered employee is using alcohol while
performing safety-sensitive functions shall permit the employee to
perform or continue to perform safety-sensitive functions.

[[Page 452]]

(d) Pre-duty use. (1) No covered employee shall perform flight
crewmember or flight attendant duties within 8 hours after using
alcohol. No certificate holder having actual knowledge that such an
employee has used alcohol within 8 hours shall permit the employee to
perform or continue to perform the specified duties.
(2) No covered employee shall perform safety-sensitive duties other
than those specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section within 4 hours
after using alcohol. No certificate holder having actual knowledge that
such an employee has used alcohol within 4 hours shall permit the
employee to perform or continue to perform safety-sensitive functions.
(e) Use following an accident. No covered employee who has actual
knowledge of an accident involving an aircraft for which he or she
performed a safety-sensitive function at or near the time of the
accident shall use alcohol for 8 hours following the accident, unless he
or she has been given a post-accident test under appendix J of this
part, or the employer has determined that the employee's performance
could not have contributed to the accident.
(f) Refusal to submit to a required alcohol test. No covered
employee shall refuse to submit to a post-accident, random, reasonable
suspicion, or follow-up alcohol test required under appendix J to this
part. No certificate holder shall permit an employee who refuses to
submit to such a test to perform or continue to perform safety-sensitive
functions.


And there you have it.

Babu, Why do you ask? Were you on this flight?

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

Looking for gleff to ask permission for Re-printing From His Blog, :-:

mrspilot

At my airline, the flight deck cannot drink 12 hours prior to our sign in....and the requirement for the f/as is 8 hours prior to sign in.

Sad but true, living in ANC I have seen many pilots stumbling out of the bar (or being carried out in some cases) @ 2 am who have to fly in 8 hours. FWIW, they quit drinking 8 hrs before they fly (they call it 8 hours bottle to throttle) but I have sometimes wondered if they were at 0.04 before "showtime" the following morning....

Being under 0.04 doesn't make them legal to fly. The 0.04 limit is just an easy way to prove intoxication in cases where a test shows 0.04 of greater. Even at 0.03, or less, the person could still be under the influence and would be illegal to fly. Even at 0.00 there could be effects from a hangover which make flying illegal.