While flying is statistically one of the safest ways to travel, weary consumers are still concerned. We have good news for skeptical travelers – Congress and the FAA are working towards improvements to battle pilot’s fatigue to ensure safer flights.
The problem: There are (typically) two kinds of pilots – ones that fly 6-7 shorter flights in a day, and ones that fly fewer, but longer, cross-country, and international flights. Each one suffers from a different kind of exhaustion from time to time. In some cases, extreme exhaustion has been shown to display the same impairment as alcohol consumption.
The effort: Airlines and unions are working together to limit the amount of hours each pilot works, but in order to do that, airlines will need to hire more pilots, and create a complex scheduling system that constantly allows for more than eight hours between each pilot’s shift.
The one conflict so far involves the exchange of pilot’s hours. Airlines are pushing for pilots with less taxing flights to get more hours, but unions won’t allow it in exchange for fewer hours for pilots with erratic hours.
One possibility being weighed is controlled napping – a system which pilots take turn sleeping during the cruising phase of the flight, but officials are hesitant to do so for fear of the idea surfacing as fodder for media and comedians, according to the Associated Press.
All in all, airlines, unions, and the FAA are striving to build a better system for pilots, which mean even safer flights for you. Look for updates in the next coming months to see how the issue’s resolution.
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
