Pilots Support Compliance With Duty And Crew Rest Rules Covering Passenger Airline Crews

Pilots for cargo giant UPS took a preemptive action Wednesday prior to a scheduled meeting Thursday between U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and company executives. In that meeting, LaHood (pictured) was expected to ask that UPS voluntarily opt-in to the new FAA pilot fatigue rules. This meeting to seek elective compliance from cargo airlines is a commitment the Secretary made late last year when he announced the new rule.

In support of the Secretary's initiative, the Independent Pilots Association (UPS pilots union) delivered a letter to Secretary LaHood Wednesday morning.

Recent correspondence, however, from UPS to the IPA suggests that the company may have already decided the issue. "UPS's position on the issue is well documented. We believe that cargo and passenger carriers require different regulatory approaches to duty and rest," said UPS in a letter to the IPA.

The UPS letter was in response to "a formal request" to UPS CEO, Scott Davis from IPA President, Captain Robert Travis "that UPS voluntarily comply with the FAA's final pilot duty and rest rule."

Since issuing the new rule, while speaking at the Aero Club of Washington on January 31, Secretary LaHood has reiterated his position: "I have invited our friends from the cargo airlines to come to my office and talk about really looking at the rule that we have adopted and implementing it. We think it's important that they know what's in the rule and why it's important and hear it from us and not read about it in the paper. And I'm going to just ask them directly to be a part of it. I think they should be. It's safe. Look, if everybody in this room believes in safety, which we do and I know all of you do, I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't want to do it. But we'll find out."

FMI: www.ups.com, www.dot.gov