Jul
30
Reports from Detroit newspapers that Northwest has canceled over 200 flights this past weekend due to pilots working their maximum amount of hours for the month. Northwest’s pilot contract allows their pilots to only work 90 hours per month. The FAA limit for a pilot per month is 100 flight hours. If a pilot worked that much every month, they would surpass their 1,000 hour limit for the whole year.
Northwest’s management blames the cancellation on pilot absenteeism. The pilots’ union totally disagrees with that statement and said; “We told them we had staffing issues months ago,” says Air Line Pilots Association spokesman Monty Montgomery. “The pilots have absolutely no plan to try to disrupt flights at Northwest.”
Working 90+ hours a month is very tiring and stressful. This is exactly why pilot contracts and the FAA have to limit the amount of hours pilots work. At this point in the airline industry, a few major carriers and almost every regional air carrier is suffering from a pilot shortage. There isn’t enough pilots in our work force today to fulfill the demanding schedules for the airlines. Regional airlines are lowering their minimum hours to get hired to basically nothing. The rough estimate now is right around 300 hours.
With the continuing pilot shortages, I think this is only the beginning of what could be a real mess for major airlines, and currently it is a mess for regional airlines. I think we will continue to see shortages for a while in this industry. It is an ever changing industry from minute to minute so things could change in a split second.
Here is a quote I also read. “Their public relations approach on this has been abysmal,” airline industry observer Terry Trippler tells the Free Press. “Pilots, at 90 hours, are tired and fatigued,” he adds. “The public’s support is with the pilots. August should tell the story and whether major changes need to be made at Northwest Airlines.”
Now it’s your turn to talk! Are you with the pilots?
What concerns me is the pilots being stressed, tired and putting the flight in danger. Same thing with the flight controllers.
Yeo that conerns me to! Can’t have tired and stressed people at the helm with so many lives on board. Whether thats a plane or bus!
I think due to the rapid turnarounds they force on pilots these days - they get quite stressed about not having breaks.
ABSOLUTELY, the concern should be for the pilots. An idiot would think otherwise or they’ve never flown.
Thank you Girl Gone Wild!