CC7513 - Rostering
Initial Report
I recently came off two late shifts, one of which involved me getting into my house at 6 a.m., which was already very close to discretion due to delays, and then the next day at 10 p.m., leaving only one day to recover before a standby shift at 2:55 a.m. I was immediately called out at for a 4:30 a.m. report. I had barely slept.
I believe this to be a safety risk, as I had transitioned from lates to earlies with just one day off. I fear that I am unable to operate safely in this manner, and I am scared to report fatigue, as the company has made it quite apparent that too many reports of fatigue could potentially lead to dismissal. I understand that there is a point where a fatigue system can be abused; however, for a company to use it as a threat of potential dismissal is unfair.
I now have major anxiety around what to do next, and I do not feel supported by management within the company.
comments
Company Comment
The rostering system includes fatigue mitigation rulesets to avoid excessive transitions, and especially transitions from late duties to early duties. Rostering transitions have been regularly reviewed at FSAG and we are constantly monitoring these duties proactively and reactively through surveys, predictive and actual fatigue reporting, occurrences and hazard reporting and trend analysis. Work is already underway engaging with key stakeholders to further enhance rosters with respect to transitions.
It is difficult to answer the specifics regarding this crew members roster without more information since it appears to contravene the rostering rules. We actively encourage reporting which allows us to identify issues and trends and in turn address them. All our reports are handled confidentially and can also be submitted anonymously should the reporter wish to protect their identity even further. Regarding the standby callout, crew members cannot be called before the start of their standby duty. A passive communication of a roster change associated with a standby callout maybe actioned by the crewing department in advance, but crews have no obligation to check this or accept a duty change and will otherwise be actively contacted within the standby period. Many crew members find this option useful for planning the pre-duty rest.
Crewmembers who assess that they are unfit for a duty due to fatigue must report fatigued and submit a fatigue report. This is safety process and is managed in accordance with the Airline’s Safety Policy and Just Culture. All fatigue reports are assessed by the fatigue team and their rosters analysed to determine root causes whether roster related or non-roster related. Cabin Crew management may subsequently conduct duty of care welfare conversations with crew members with the principle aim to support a crew member who may be struggling to achieve adequate pre-duty rest.
CHIRP Comment
Transitioning from late to early shifts with minimum rest, as described by the reporter, is permissible under UK FTL regulations. However, just because a duty is legal does not mean a crew member will not experience tiredness, which can significantly reduce alertness and increase the risk of fatigue.
Crew fatigue is a recognised operational safety issue and systems exist to allow crew to report when they feel unfit to operate. Each crew member is responsible for assessing their own fitness for duty and must make appropriate use of rest periods to support adequate recovery between duties. If they are not fit to operate, they should report this through the appropriate channels.
However, if reporting fatigue is perceived as a potential threat to employment, this can create anxiety, discourage honest reporting and ultimately undermine the effectiveness of fatigue risk management.
Open and trusted reporting is essential to identifying fatigue risks and ensuring that rostering practices remain both compliant and manageable. It also helps operators identify trends in rosters that may be legally compliant but linked to fatigue and in some cases can highlight underlying health issues affecting crew members. For these systems to work as intended, crew must feel supported and able to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences.