Please find below an update on Part-Time contracts, Direct Entry Contract Captains, Delayed Reporting, Pilot Seniority and Medical Assistance in KRW.
 
Part-Time contracts
Following our email dated 30 May 2017, we would like to give you an update on Part-Time contracts.
 
After it has been brought to our attention, that a clause was added into Part-Time contracts forcing a pilot to either obtain a license issued in Luxembourg or any other license management deems necessary, on 21 June 2017 Michael Kaiser and Dirk Becker met with the Deputy Chief Pilot Geoffroy Bemelmans and the Chief Flight Instructor Wolf Brandes to discuss this issue. 
 
The meeting was held in an open and constructive atmosphere and all arguments and concerns were discussed. In that meeting, management did honor the fact that any flight crew license issued in accordance with EASA Part FCL qualifies to operate Cargolux aircraft.
 
Reasons why it is desirable to have a license issued by the DAC-L from management’s perspective were also discussed. These are mainly related to the administrative requirements for License Proficiency Checks, which are still not fully aligned throughout Europe. These include for example that each TRE must be familiar with the requirements of each authority prior to conducting a check, which may in parts greatly differ between the different authorities.
 
We appreciate that management agrees to withdraw the paragraph in question and intends to re-issue the Part-Time contracts without this clause.
 
Direct Entry Contract Captains
Recently we have learned that the non-type rated Contract Captain, who was hired and trained to join the joint venture airline in China once this company would start operation, has left Cargolux. We highly appreciate that the mutual agreement between our CEO Richard Forson and the ALPL has been respected at all times.
 
Until today there is no clarity in regards to how the joint venture airline will be crewed. This includes possible job and career perspectives for Cargolux pilots and eventually training of pilots for the joint venture airline. We believe that it should be possible to find a solution for all parties involved.
 
Delayed Reporting
We are still waiting for Flight Operations to correctly apply the regulations and comply with the finding made by the DAC-L on delayed reporting at the out stations. It was indicated that it is work in progress and that Cargolux is in touch with AIMS to find a solution for that.
 
We have had members also highlighting that crew control is omitting to inform crews of the first delay and only sending a “delayed reporting” notification after the second delay or even none at all.
 
The intention of the regulation is to limit the total time of wakefulness prior to commencing duties. If delays do occur more than once the FDPs will have to be reduced whereby an operator either augments the crew to extend the FDP or replaces the crew for the FDP.
 
Please be vigilant and read the delayed reporting procedure to know the requirements of the regulations. If for any reason you feel that you have been awake for a period of time prior to commencing a FDP which may impact or potentially impact your ability to perform safely your flight duties inform crew control and dispatch if you will require additional rest and complete a proactive fatigue report.

 
Pilot Seniority
In June we were approached by Flight Operations Management and HR to find a solution for some Lufthansa CityLine pilots, who flew with Cargolux for a period of 2 years on a fixed term contract, chose to leave the company and went back to CityLine.  Some of those former colleagues raised the interest to re-join Cargolux but asked to consider the time spent in Cargolux when determining their new seniority date.
 
We are fully aware of the fact that Cargolux needs more pilots but the proposed way raised serious concerns and questions, which we did communicate towards Management.
 
Pilot seniority is the main factor when it comes to salary and career progression within the company, the allocation of vacation – and off days. It therefore must be respected and applied for all Cargolux pilots the same way. To make an exception would not only water down the seniority principle in general but would also severely disadvantage all pilots who have been employed after the departure of the CityLine pilots back in 2016.
 
Medical assistance in KRW
We have been approached by several colleagues, who raised concerns in regards to medical assistance in Turkmenbashi (KRW). According to International SOS, emergency services in Turkmenistan are unable to provide adequate assistance due to lack of training and foreign language skills. In addition, strict travel requirements and restrictions are in place. An initial request to get clarification from Management last year did not lead to a satisfactory answer. Please click here to read a letter from the Delegation, that was sent, amongst others, to the Manager Operational Health and Safety aiming at getting satisfactory answers on certain questions. 

In this issue of our series “Know your CWA” we take a closer look at “Commander´s Discretion”.

B1-36.11 Unforeseen circumstances in flight operations – Commander’s Discretion

The conditions to modify the limits on flight duty, duty and rest periods by the commander in the case of unforeseen circumstances in flight operations, which start at or after the reporting time, shall comply with the following:

Table B1-36.11-1 Available Discretion:

According to this article it is possible to extend the maximum daily FDP of:

• a Standard Flight Crew, consisting of two pilots, by maximum 2 hours.
• an Augmented Crew by maximum 3 hours.

Important: This rule can only be applied under certain conditions and in case of unforeseen circumstances at or after the Reporting Time. A request by the company to eventually already consider unforeseen circumstances before a pilot reports for duty clearly is a violation against the CWA and the OM-A.

The OM-A and EASA FTL also state, that “…The exercise of commander´s discretion should be considered exceptional and should be avoided at home base.”

Reporting Time is defined in CWA Part III as “the moment in time at which a Pilot is required by the Company to report for any Duty.”

The CWA furthermore states the following:

Before deciding to apply commander’s discretion the commander shall take due consideration of all factors that might decrease a crew member’s alertness levels, such as:

• WOCL encroachment;
• weather conditions;
• complexity of the operation and/or airport environment;
• aeroplane malfunctions or specifications;
• flight with training or supervisory duties;
• increased number of sectors;
• circadian disruption; and
• individual conditions of affected crew members (time since awake, sleep-related factor, workload, previous duties etc.)
• Any such modifications must be acceptable to the Commander  after consultation with all other crew members.
• The decision rests solely with the crew members and Cargolux adopts a non-punitive response in case of non-application of  commander’s discretion.
• If on the final sector within an FDP the allowed increase is exceeded because of unforeseen circumstances after takeoff, the flight may continue to the planned destination or alternate.

Before applying a commander´s discretion:

• the commander must consider various things which are listed above. This means that basically all circumstances that potentially do have a negative effect on the safety of the flight must carefully be evaluated and taken into consideration.
• the commander also must consult all crew members and only if the entire crew does agree to such a modification it can be applied.

Cargolux also states that:

• such a decision solely rests with the crew members and
• a non-application of commander´s discretion does not result in a punitive response.

In addition the CWA mentions:

The rest period following an FDP may be reduced, at Commander’s discretion, but can never be less than 10 hours.

The Commander shall, in case of special circumstances which could lead to severe fatigue, and after consultation with the Pilots concerned, reduce the actual FDP and/or increase the rest period in order to eliminate any detrimental effect on flight safety.

This part mentions that:

• a rest period may be reduced to 10 hours.
• the commander shall reduce the actual FDP and/or shall increase the rest period should any crew member suffer or potentially suffer from severe fatigue, which could have an adverse effect on the safety of the flight.

In other words; A commander always can – even shall – reduce the FDP to below the maximum allowable FDP should the safe conduct of the flight be jeopardized in any kind.

The Commander shall submit a report to the Postholder Flight Operations when an FDP is increased or a rest period is reduced at his or her discretion.

Where the increase of an FDP or reduction of a rest period exceeds one hour, a copy of the report, to which the Postholder Flight Operations must add his comments, is sent to the Authority not later than 28 days after the event.

The last two paragraphs highlight that:

• it is the responsibility of the commander to submit a report any time a FDP is increased or a rest period is reduced. This should be done by using the iQSMS application.
• in addition, the Postholder Flight Operations must send a copy of the report to the civil aviation authority any time when an increase or reduction exceeds 1 hour.

Example A:

A Standard Flight Crew is scheduled to operate the flight CGO – LUX. Scheduled time of departure is 08:00 UTC, 16:00 LT CGO. Reporting time is 15:00 LT, which also is the Reference time for calculating the maximum FDP. According to table B1-36.3.1 in the CWA the FDP limit is 12:15 hours with a “Roster publication limit” of 11:45 hours. The scheduled FDP on the roster is 11:30 hours and therefore within the limits of the CWA.

When arriving at the aircraft in CGO the crew gets the information, that some loading equipment just broke down but loading will continue at a slower pace, resulting in 1 hour delay. Taking the delay into consideration the FDP now is 12:30 hours, exceeding the FDP limit by 15 minutes.

It is now the responsibility of all crew members to assess the situation and when considering  “Commander´s discretion” to take all relevant factors as mentioned above into consideration.

If “Commander´s discretion” is applied, a report must be submitted to the Postholder Flight Operatons.

Example B:

An Augmented Flight Crew (3 Pilots) is scheduled to operate the flight LUX – SJU – ATL. Scheduled departure time is 20:00 UTC and the maximum FDP is 16 hours, since no sector is longer than 9 hours. The scheduled FDP is 15:30 hours and within the limits of the CWA.

Due to the long and tiring night duty, one pilot is suffering from fatigue on the first sector. It is now the obligation of the commander to act according to the OM-A and CWA and to shorten the FDP to ensure a safe operation. As a result the flight from SJU to ATL is delayed because the crew takes a rest period in SJU.

!IMPORTANT! Every pilot suffering or potentially suffering from fatigue must file a Fatigue Report!

Simply use the iQSMS application or the LEAF application to submit reports, both are provided on your iPad. When entering the data be as accurate and as complete as possible. Please click here for additional guidance.

Furthermore it is according to OM-A Chapter 11, Section 2 mandatory to submit an ASR if the fatigue you experienced impacted or could have potentially impacted your ability to perform your flight duties safely.

Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.

All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.

In this issue of our series “Know your CWA” we would like to expand on the maximum “Flight Duty Period (FDP) for flights with an Augmented Flight Crew”.

B1-36.5 Extended FDP with in-flight rest (Augmented Flight Crew)

B1-36.5.1 Crew Composition

The crew composition shall be as follows:

• Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot
• Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots
• For 3 sectors or more 2 Captains + 2 First Officers

In CWA Part III, Augmented Flight Crew is defined as  “..Means a flight crew which comprises more than the minimum number required to operate that aircraft, allowing each flight Pilot to leave his/her assigned post, for the purpose of in-flight rest, and to be replaced by another appropriately qualified Pilot.”

Standard Flight Crew is defined as “1 Captain, 1 First Officer, total 2 Pilots”

CWA B1-36.5.1 defines the crew composition and clearly states that for 3 sectors or more an augmented crew comprising 2 Captains and 2 First Officers is required!

The FDP can be extended with the use of inflight rest as follows:

B1-36.5.2

The FDP can be extended with the use of in-flight rest provided that within the Maximum Extended Flight Duty Period:

• the Pilots at the controls (PF and PM) for the landing(s) have at least a consecutive 120 minute period in-flight rest opportunity and
• the other Pilot(s) have at least a consecutive 90 minute period in-flight rest opportunity

In-flight rest should be taken during the cruise phase of the flight. For the purpose of in-flight rest the cruise phase of the flight should be considered from FL200 until 10 minutes before top of descent. In-flight rest periods should be allocated in order to optimize the alertness of those flight crew members at controls during landing. The rest period for an individual Pilot should not include the time necessary to change seats. All time spent in the rest facility is counted as FDP.

A Pilot may not start a positioning sector to become part of the operating crew on the same sector.

Only if the pilots at the controls and other pilots have at least a consecutive 120 minute and 90 minute period in-flight rest respectively, the FDP can be extended according to the tables below. This rest period must be applied within the FDP and in cruise from FL200 until 10 minutes before top of descent.

In addition all pilots of an Augmented Flight Crew must start their FDP at the same place and at the same time.

Important: According to OM-A, Chapter 7, Section 7, the Minimum Rest at destination following a FDP for which crew augmentation was required is at least as long as the preceding duty period, or 14 hours, whichever is greater.

The following tables show the maximum extended FDPs and the respective crew composition.

Important: The tables below distinguish between:

• Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot
• Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots

In this context, it is important two recognize that:

• Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots can also mean 1 Captain and 3 First Officers

However, according to CWA B1-36.5.1: 

• For 3 sectors or more, 2 Captains and 2 First Officers are required

If in addition to the conditions above, the FDP consists of maximum 2 operating sectors with one sector with more than 9 hours of continuous flight time, the following extended FDPs apply:

Flight Time is defined in the CWA Part III as “…Means the time as an operating Pilot between first moving of an aircraft from its parking place (Block Off) for the purpose of taking off until it comes to rest on the designated parking position and all engines are shut down (Block On).”

To keep it simple; irrespective of the Reporting Time and State of Acclimatization:

• If 3 sectors are scheduled, the maximum FDP is 17 hours, irrespective of the sector length. In addition, the crew composition must be 2 Captains and 2 First Officers.
• the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew +1 Pilot is 16 hours with a maximum of 2 sectors.
• the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots (1 BC + 3 FO) is 17 hours and 2 sectors.
• the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot is 17 hours if one sector is more than 9 hours continuous flight time with a maximum of 2 sectors.
• the maximum FDP for a Standard Flight Crew + 2 Pilots (1BC + 3 FO) is 18 hours if one sector is more than 9 hours continuous flight time with a maximum of 2 sectors.

Example A:

A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-KRW-SIN. The crew is augmented and comprises a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot. None of the 2 sectors is longer than 9 hours continuous flight time and therefore the maximum FDP is 16 hours from Reporting Time until block on in SIN. Due to the sector lengths, the required distribution of inflight rest of a minimum of 120 and 90 minutes respectively can be achieved.

Example B:

A pilot is scheduled to operate LUX-BEY-CAI-LUX. Since this FDP involves 3 sectors, 2 Captains and 2 First Officers are required. The maximum FDP in this case is 17 hours. Due to the relatively short sector length, it is important to make sure that inflight rest is adequately distributed.

If any crew in the above situation does not manage to obtain 120 minutes/90 minutes inflight rest, they are not compliant to be able to operate as PF or PM.

Example C:

The crew is augmented and comprises a Standard Flight Crew + 1 Pilot. The FDP required is 17 hours with two sectors. The first sector is scheduled for a continuous flight time of just over 9 hours. After landing you notice that the total flight time is 8:55 hours. In this case, the total FDP cannot exceed 16 hours duty.

But what if the “Maximum Flight Duty Period” for an Augmented Flight Crew would be exceeded?

In this case it is the obligation of the company to change the Flight Duty accordingly to be within limits or to add additional crew members.

Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.

All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.

In this issue of our series “Know your CWA” we would like to expand on “Maximum Flight Duty Periods (FDP) for a Standard Flight Crew” of 2 Pilots as defined in CWA Art. B1-36.3. focussing on the maximum basic daily FDP of an acclimatized pilot and for a pilot in an unknown state of acclimatization without FRM. We will expand on FDP with an augmented flight crew in a later edition of this series.

To calculate the maximum basic FDP for a Standard Flight Crew, a crew member first needs to determine his state of acclimatization.

B1-36.3 Maximum Flight Duty Periods

As defined in CWA B1-36.3, “‘Acclimatised’ means a state in which a crew member’s circadian biological clock is synchronized to the time zone where the crew member is. A crew member is considered to be acclimatized to a 2-hour wide time zone (+/- 02:00) surrounding the local time at the point of departure. When the local time at the place where a duty commences differs by more than 2 hours from the local time at the place where the next duty starts, the crew member, for the calculation of the maximum daily flight duty period, is considered to be acclimatized in accordance with the values in the table below.”

Based on the state of acclimatization the maximum basic daily FDP can be calculated according to the tables below.    

CWA B1-36.3.1 and 36.3.1.2 are applicable to all Flight Duty Periods conducted by a Standard Flight Crew, which in Part III of the CWA is defined as “1 Captain and 1 suitably qualified pilot.”

Table B1-36.3.1: Maximum Basic Daily FDP (hours:minutes) for an acclimatized Pilot

The left column depicts the Reporting Time, which is defined in CWA Part III as “the moment in time at which a Pilot is required by the Company to report for any Duty.” This time is expressed as Reference Time in accordance with the table in CWA B1-36.3 above.

As defined in CWA B1-36.2 “Specification of Beginning and End of Duty times”  the Reporting Time is 1 hour before Scheduled Time of Departure. Only in LUX the Reporting Time is 1:10 hours before STD.

Should the scheduled departure time change, it is the responsibility of the company to apply the Delayed Reporting procedure according to OM-A Chapter 7, Section 6!

If no delayed reporting message is received, the last scheduled departure time on the roster that has been confirmed by the crew member is applicable when determining the maximum basic daily FDP in accordance with CWA B1-36.3.1!

The times in the right columns depict the maximum Flight Duty Periods for the respective Reporting Times in the left column also considering the number of scheduled sectors.

!Important!: Whilst the “FDP limit” is a legal limit also according to OM-A Chapter 7, Section 5, the “Roster Publication Limit” is the limit for Crew Planning and Crew Control when producing and/or changing the rosters. It is their obligation to respect these limits and to schedule the flights accordingly!

In case the state of acclimatization according to table B1-36.3 is unknown, the maximum FDP for a pilot is shown in table B1-36.3.2 below is applicable.

B1-36.3.2 Maximum FDP for a Pilot in an unknown state of acclimatization without FRM

When calculating the maximum allowable FDP it is important to know that the definition of FDP according to the CWA and the OM-A is the same:

Example A (Acclimatized to new time zone [D]):

A pilot operates from LUX (UTC+2) to GYD (UTC+4). Reporting time (Reference Time) is 20:00h LT in LUX and the maximum daily FDP according to table B1-36.3.1. for an acclimatized Standard Crew is 11 hours. 10:30 hours is the “Roster publication limit”. Since the time difference between LUX and GYD is not more than 2 hours, he is acclimatized right away to the local time in GYD, which becomes the new Reference Time for calculating the maximum FDP for the next sector.

Example B (Acclimatized to departure time zone [B]):

A pilot operates from LUX (UTC+2) to JFK (UTC-4). Reporting time (Reference Time) is 15:00h LT in LUX and the maximum daily FDP for an acclimatized Standard Crew is 12 hours. The time difference between LUX and JFK is 6 hours and he would only be acclimatized to the local time in JFK after 72 hours since reporting at Reference Time in LUX. Only then the local time in JFK would become the new Reference Time (D). However, after 30 hours since reporting at Reference Time in LUX he is scheduled to operate JFK-MEX-IAH.  According to table B1-36.3 he still is acclimatised to the local time of the departure time zone (LUX) which is the Reference Time for determining the maximum FDP in this case. Reporting time is at 19:00 UTC. Local times in JFK and LUX are 15:00 LT and 21:00 LT respectively. For calculating the maximum FDP the local time in LUX is the Reference Time. The maximum FDP in this case is 11 hours with a “Roster publication limit” of 10:30h.

Example C (Unknown state of acclimatization [X]):

The pilot in example B continues his journey. On day 3 of his trip he arrives in IAH (UTC-5). He is scheduled to operate IAH-PIK-LUX already on day 4. Reporting time is 11:30 UTC. Time elapsed since reporting at Reference Time where the crew member was acclimatized (LUX+2) is 94:30 hours (13:00 UTC/day 1 until 11:30 UTC/day4). Hence, he is in an unknown state of acclimatization, which limits the maximum daily FDP according to table B1-36.3.2 to 11 hours.

But what if the “Maximum Flight Duty Period” or “Roster Publication Limit” would be exceeded for a specific reporting/reference time?

In this case it is the obligation of the company to schedule the flight with an augmented crew or to plan a rest period accordingly.

Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.

All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.

At the end of 2017 we might be faced again with negotiations for a new Collective Work Agreement (CWA). Whilst we already have a list of things that need to be improved, we would like to ask every one of you to tell us what you think our goals should be during these negotiations.

The purpose of the survey is to highlight the most pressing issues you as a pilot would like to see changed with the future of Cargolux in mind.

Please take the time to write us a short text or some bullet points with items you would like to see changed or improved, bearing in mind that the ALPL Cargolux Divisional Board is working on different issues at the same time and that some of these working subjects might be resolved by the time new negotiations will start.

As we obtain all the feedback of all the members we can then proceed and identify the core subjects of the information we received from you. Please complete the survey until latest 31 July 2017.

When answering the survey, we kindly ask you to be concise and to list the points in order of priority. We also ask you to think about what you personally are willing to contribute to achieve these goals – Don´t take things for granted!

This is the next part of our series “Know your CWA” in regards to “Positioning”, which covers “Positioning immediately before or following an operating sector”. 

B1-36.6 Positioning

When a Pilot is required to Position immediately following an operating sector the total time spent on Duty shall count toward the Duty Time, with a maximum combined Flight and Positioning time of:

1. a) Standard Flight Crew: 16:00 hours.
2. b) Augmented Flight Crew: 18:00 hours.

When a Pilot performs a Duty consisting solely of Positioning, the time from Block Off of the first positioning sector to Block On of the last positioning sector shall not exceed 20 hours.

Transportation to and from Hotel accommodation at the behest of the Company is not considered positioning. 

Positioning applies to all modes of transportation. Certain airport pairs, as listed in the OM Part A, are considered the same airport for the purpose of determining if positioning time is required.

The beginning and end of “Positioning before or after operating sector” times are specified in CWA Art. B1-36.2.2-4 and distinguished by the means of traveling.

Also in this case, all times spent positioning count as Duty Time and CWA Art. B1-36.2.2-4 must be consulted in order to:

• calculate the actual Duty Time, which is added up towards the Duty Period Limitations as defined in CWA Art. B1-36.1.2
• determine the required Rest Period after positioning a pilot is entitled to
• calculate the overtime payment according to CWA B1-39.5.1 if more than 160 Duty hours in one consecutive Roster Period of 28 days are worked.

In addition, it is important to know that a positioning before an operating sector must be considered when determining the maximum allowable FDP!

B1-36.2.2 Positioning on board of an aircraft before operating sector(s)

Positioning sectors shall not count as sectors when determining the maximum FDP.

* The time can be increased for operational reasons by the Company only.

B1-36.2.3 Positioning by other means than aircraft before operating sector(s)

Positioning sectors shall not count as sectors when determining the maximum FDP.

B1-36.2.4 Positioning after operating sector(s)

Positioning sectors shall not count as sectors when determining the maximum FDP.

* The time can be increased for operational reasons by the Company only.

**If an aircraft is not used for positioning, Block On shall be replaced by the actual arrival time of the vehicle used for transportation.

Example A (Positioning immediately before an operating sector):
A pilot is scheduled to position from MEX to JFK and then to operate a flight to ORD. STD of the commercial flight in MEX is at 14:00 UTC. Arrival time in JFK is 19:05 UTC and the STD of flight CLX xyz from JFK to ORD is 21:25 UTC. CLX xyz is scheduled to arrive in ORD at 23:05 UTC.

In this case the FDP already starts in MEX 1h (Reporting Time) before STD of the commercial flight and ends on actual block on in ORD at 23:05 UTC. Total FDP is 10:05h. The total duty time (combined Flight and Positioning time) is 10:35h.

Example B (Positioning immediately following an operating sector):
A pilot is scheduled to operate flight CLX xyz from BQN to AMS as Standard Crew, stay on board and position from AMS to LUX. The allowed combined Flight and Positioning Time is 16 hours. Reporting Time in BQN is 22.45 UTC and the flight arrives in AMS at 09.35 UTC. There another crew takes over and the pilot positions now from AMS to LUX on the same aircraft. Block On in LUX is at 11.35 UTC. Total FDP is 10:50h. The total duty time (combined Flight and Positioning time) is 12:50h.

But what if the combined Flight and Positioning time of 16 or 18 hours would be exceeded?

In this case it is the obligation of the company to change the roster accordingly and to e.g. plan a rest period immediately after the Flight Duty Period.

Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.

All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.

In the third part of our series “Know your CWA” we will expand on “Positioning”. To keep this issue short, we would like to look initially at Positioning in general and in more detail at “a Duty consisting solely of Positioning”.

B1-36.6 Positioning

When a Pilot is required to Position immediately following an operating sector the total time spent on Duty shall count toward the Duty Time, with a maximum combined Flight and Positioning time of:

1. a) Standard Flight Crew: 16:00 hours.
2. b) Augmented Flight Crew: 18:00 hours.

When a Pilot performs a Duty consisting solely of Positioning, the time from Block Off of the first positioning sector to Block On of the last positioning sector shall not exceed 20 hours.

Transportation to and from Hotel accommodation at the behest of the Company is not considered positioning.

Positioning applies to all modes of transportation. Certain airport pairs, as listed in the OM Part A, are considered the same airport for the purpose of determining if positioning time is required.

Positioning is defined in Part III of the CWA as “Means the transferring of a non-operating Pilot from one place to another, at the behest of the operator, excluding the time of travel from a private place of rest to the designated reporting place at home base and vice versa, and the time for local transfer from a place of rest to the commencement of duty and vice versa.”

This article is hence only valid for the above-mentioned purpose and is also referring to a list of city airports in the OM-A Chapter 7, Section 4. In this list, you can find airports that are considered as equal for transportation between the crew hotel and an airport due to their relative proximity. If you for instance arrive at Dubai International Airport (OMDB) and depart again from Dubai World Central (OMDW), the transportation from the hotel in DXB to the other airport is not considered as positioning.

The beginning and end of “Positioning duty only” times are specified in CWA Art. B1-36.2.5 and distinguished by the means of traveling.

B1-36.2.5 Positioning duty only

a) First positioning sector is on board of an aircraft 

* The time can be increased for operational reasons by the Company only.

**If an aircraft is not used on the last sector of a positioning duty, Block On shall be replaced by the actual arrival time of the    vehicle used for transportation.

b) First positioning sector is by any other means than by air

*If an aircraft is not used on the last sector of a positioning duty, Block On shall be replaced by the actual arrival time of the vehicle used for transportation.

Important to know is also the following additional restriction: If a pilot performs a duty solely of positioning the maximum allowable positioning time of 20 hours starts at the scheduled block off of the first positioning sector and ends at the actual block on of the last sector. If it is expected that this limit would be exceeded, the pilot may insist that the positioning duty and his roster is changed to observe this limitation.

All times spent positioning count as Duty Time and CWA Art. B1-35.2.5 above must be consulted in order to:

• calculate the actual Duty Time, which is added up towards the Duty Period Limitations as defined in CWA Art. B1-36.1.2
• determine the required Rest Period after positioning a pilot is entitled to
• calculate the overtime payment according to CWA B1-39.5.1 if more than 160 Duty hours in one consecutive Roster Period of 28 days are worked.

Example A:
A pilot is scheduled to position on a commercial flight EK xyz from HKG to DXB with a STD of 08.15 UTC and a STA of 16.45 UTC. Because of delayed boarding flight EK xyz departs at 09.00 UTC and arrives in DXB at 17.50 UTC. The total duty time is 10:35 h, from 07.15 UTC (Reporting Time) until 17.50 UTC (ATA).

Example B:
A pilot is scheduled to position on a CLX flight from LUX via DXB to HKG. STD is 20.00 UTC. The flight departs LUX at 20.25 UTC and arrives in DXB at 02.30 UTC. In DXB the aircraft stays on the ground for a few hours and departs again at 07.10 UTC. ATA in HKG is 15.45 UTC. The positioning time is 19:45 h (STD until ATA) and the total duty time 20:55 h, from 18.50 UTC (Reporting Time) until 15.45 UTC (ATA).

But what if the maximum positioning time of 20 hours would be exceeded?

In that case it is the obligation of the company to change the roster accordingly.

Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.

All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.

Finally, on Monday, 12 June 2017 the constituent meeting of the Delegation took place. The agenda was to elect the different positions and functions amongst the delegates.

Here are the results:

President:                                    George Karambilas (LCGB)
Vice – President:                         Dirk Winne (LCGB – SEA)
Secretary:                                     Michael Kaiser (LCGB)
Equality Delegate:                      Markus Neuber (LCGB)
Health and Safety Delegate:     Yves Hendel (LCGB – SEA)

In addition to the above, Bernhard Novak (LCGB) was nominated to fill one position in the Office and Andreas Herbold (LCGB) to be the OHS expert for Flight Ops. For personal reasons Einar Kristjansson (LCGB) decided to resign as elected delegate and to no longer be part of the Delegation. We want to thank Einar for his great work and dedication during all these years and wish him well. 
 
Together with the remaining effective and substitute delegates we will make sure that the interests of all Cargolux employees will be represented during our mandate.