Narrative:

When finishing the second day of a four day trip; I contacted scheduling. They notified me that they would be putting me into a reduced rest of 8 hours and that I would operate back to my hub and out to the overnight the next morning. They explained they were legal to reduce me to 8 hours because I wasn't flying much the next day and not to worry about the rest of my trip. I was just to get up in the morning and duty in at xa:40 am. The next day I did duty in at xa:40 am. In range to the hub; I was informed by scheduling that I would be operating a short round trip on my break before the flight to my overnight. After arriving at the hub; I contacted crew scheduling and asked them to facsimile me a paring showing the scheduled flight time for the trip. I waited several minutes and the facsimile was never sent. I was informed that there was a plane full of people waiting for my arrival so they could go to their destination. I boarded the aircraft; did the required paperwork; and flew the round trip. I then proceeded to fly to the overnight station. When I was there; I picked up a pairing from my trip and realized that; with that short round trip added to my schedule; they were no longer able to reduce my rest to 8 hours the previous night. Not known to me; crew scheduling had changed and falsified my duty-in time that previous morning to 9 hours on paper so the computer would legally assign the added trip to my schedule. This was the 14TH change to my schedule by the third day of my trip. I find it extremely difficult to keep up with all the rest requirements; looking back and looking forward; especially when crew scheduling changes my schedule so often. I am extremely disappointed in the company's crew scheduling department as I understand this has become a common practice. I will have to; in the future; insist on receiving a scheduled pairing before every flight and verify that all the information is correct before I depart. Our company procedures are for the company to make every effort possible to ensure crew legality. They have computer systems in place that are supposed to try to catch any assignments of illegal trips. But; when crew schedulers go in and falsify information; overriding the computer because of a shortage of pilots; a situation is created that needs to be immediately addressed. In the current situation of the air carrier industry; with every airline losing so much money and trying to cut costs; I have seen a disturbing trend of trying to push flight crews to; and on occasion; past their legal limits. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that this incident was not the first time that crew scheduling had altered his 'duty-in' time and that it is a common practice; especially with pilots on reserve. Reporter said that crew scheduling's practice of altering crew times is well known to all the company's pilots. Reporter stated that due to current manning levels; the company will do anything to get trips out now.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CAPT STATES THAT COMPANY CREW SCHEDULING POLICIES ARE NOT COMPLIANT WITH FAA CREW REST REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative: WHEN FINISHING THE SECOND DAY OF A FOUR DAY TRIP; I CONTACTED SCHEDULING. THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THEY WOULD BE PUTTING ME INTO A REDUCED REST OF 8 HOURS AND THAT I WOULD OPERATE BACK TO MY HUB AND OUT TO THE OVERNIGHT THE NEXT MORNING. THEY EXPLAINED THEY WERE LEGAL TO REDUCE ME TO 8 HOURS BECAUSE I WASN'T FLYING MUCH THE NEXT DAY AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE REST OF MY TRIP. I WAS JUST TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND DUTY IN AT XA:40 AM. THE NEXT DAY I DID DUTY IN AT XA:40 AM. IN RANGE TO THE HUB; I WAS INFORMED BY SCHEDULING THAT I WOULD BE OPERATING A SHORT ROUND TRIP ON MY BREAK BEFORE THE FLT TO MY OVERNIGHT. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE HUB; I CONTACTED CREW SCHEDULING AND ASKED THEM TO FAX ME A PARING SHOWING THE SCHEDULED FLT TIME FOR THE TRIP. I WAITED SEVERAL MINUTES AND THE FAX WAS NEVER SENT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PLANE FULL OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR MY ARR SO THEY COULD GO TO THEIR DEST. I BOARDED THE ACFT; DID THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK; AND FLEW THE ROUND TRIP. I THEN PROCEEDED TO FLY TO THE OVERNIGHT STATION. WHEN I WAS THERE; I PICKED UP A PAIRING FROM MY TRIP AND REALIZED THAT; WITH THAT SHORT ROUND TRIP ADDED TO MY SCHEDULE; THEY WERE NO LONGER ABLE TO REDUCE MY REST TO 8 HOURS THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. NOT KNOWN TO ME; CREW SCHEDULING HAD CHANGED AND FALSIFIED MY DUTY-IN TIME THAT PREVIOUS MORNING TO 9 HOURS ON PAPER SO THE COMPUTER WOULD LEGALLY ASSIGN THE ADDED TRIP TO MY SCHEDULE. THIS WAS THE 14TH CHANGE TO MY SCHEDULE BY THE THIRD DAY OF MY TRIP. I FIND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE REST REQUIREMENTS; LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD; ESPECIALLY WHEN CREW SCHEDULING CHANGES MY SCHEDULE SO OFTEN. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN THE COMPANY'S CREW SCHEDULING DEPARTMENT AS I UNDERSTAND THIS HAS BECOME A COMMON PRACTICE. I WILL HAVE TO; IN THE FUTURE; INSIST ON RECEIVING A SCHEDULED PAIRING BEFORE EVERY FLT AND VERIFY THAT ALL THE INFO IS CORRECT BEFORE I DEPART. OUR COMPANY PROCS ARE FOR THE COMPANY TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT POSSIBLE TO ENSURE CREW LEGALITY. THEY HAVE COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN PLACE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO TRY TO CATCH ANY ASSIGNMENTS OF ILLEGAL TRIPS. BUT; WHEN CREW SCHEDULERS GO IN AND FALSIFY INFO; OVERRIDING THE COMPUTER BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE OF PLTS; A SIT IS CREATED THAT NEEDS TO BE IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSED. IN THE CURRENT SIT OF THE AIR CARRIER INDUSTRY; WITH EVERY AIRLINE LOSING SO MUCH MONEY AND TRYING TO CUT COSTS; I HAVE SEEN A DISTURBING TREND OF TRYING TO PUSH FLT CREWS TO; AND ON OCCASION; PAST THEIR LEGAL LIMITS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THIS INCIDENT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT CREW SCHEDULING HAD ALTERED HIS 'DUTY-IN' TIME AND THAT IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE; ESPECIALLY WITH PLTS ON RESERVE. RPTR SAID THAT CREW SCHEDULING'S PRACTICE OF ALTERING CREW TIMES IS WELL KNOWN TO ALL THE COMPANY'S PLTS. RPTR STATED THAT DUE TO CURRENT MANNING LEVELS; THE COMPANY WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET TRIPS OUT NOW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.