Many members have asked about Duty Time Limits and a letter of interpretation that has been passed around the airline system, hangar and shop floor. The actual regulation states that a mechanic must have rest of a least 24 hours during any seven consecutive days or the equivalent within any one calendar month (four 24-hour periods per month). For may years, the FAA had interpreted this to mean one day off in seven, four days off in twenty-eight. The recent letter to Pratt & Whitney states that based on new concerns about fatigue, the rule was being reinterpreted to require one day off in seven, except in true emergency situations. However the regulation itself has not changed.
At present, there is only the letter to Pratt & Whitney. No FAA directive has been sent to American and Article 6 still applies so American mechanics should continue to operate under the language of the regulation as written and under Article 6. Although there is concern about whether the new interpretation in the letter to Pratt & Whitney will be applied to American, and how American will respond, at this point we have received no information from the FAA or American Airlines that the FAA is mandating a change in practice. If any changes arise in the future, we will keep you updated through bulletin board posting, the TWU website, and here in the Informer.