American flight attendant rest and duty limits

How much rest do you get between duty periods?

These are the domestic rules. At your home crew base you must be scheduled for at least 11 hours of rest, measured from release to report. In actual operations you may choose to reduce that to ten hours, subject to the FARs. § 11.I On a layover you must be scheduled for at least ten hours, which can’t be reduced, and in actual operations eight hours “behind the door” is the minimum. § 11.J.1

If you don’t get your ten hours of layover rest, you are considered on duty with all duty rigs and premiums if you continue. If you feel you can’t continue, you’re relieved at the earliest possible time without causing a delay, and you may claim sick time for the rest of the sequence. That sick call isn’t recorded in your sick time totals. § 11.J.2

How long can a domestic duty day be?

It depends on report time. In actual operations the limits are:

You aren’t required to remain on duty beyond these limits. § 11.F.1 If the duty period has a break of at least five hours or twice the block hours before the break, whichever is greater, the 13:15 rescheduled on-duty maximum applies. § 11.F.1 International flying has its own rest rules; for example, home base rest after a non-IPD international duty period is at least 12 hours, which the company may reduce by two hours in actual operations. § 14.H.1 When a sequence is built, the limits are in a chart based on report time and the number of segments (limited to 8 hours 59 minutes of block), with an exception for a single duty period of no more than two live segments. § 11.E A flight attendant scheduled for more than 8:59 block gets at least 11 hours of home base rest afterwards. § 11.E

If a standby is assigned a sequence, the duty period counts from the standby report time. § 11.G

How many hours can you fly in a week?

A reserve can be scheduled for up to 35 block hours in any seven consecutive days. A lineholder in PBS or TTS can be scheduled for up to 30. § 11.B.1 § 11.B.2 In actual operations a lineholder completes the sequence unless it exceeds 35. § 11.B.2 Deadhead time doesn’t count toward these limits. § 11.B.4 For a reserve, time picked up through ETB, TTS or UBL doesn’t count toward the 35 hours; for a lineholder, time picked up through ETB doesn’t count toward the 30 hours. § 11.B.5

You also can’t fly more than six consecutive days unless that period contains or is followed by 24 consecutive hours free from all duty. § 11.C.1

How many days off?

A lineholder must have at least 11 calendar days of relief from all duty in the crew base in each contractual month, which you can waive in PBS, TTS and ETB. § 11.H.1 It is prorated if you have vacation of seven or more days or are available for less than the full month. § 11.H.2

Can you be asked to work past the limit?

You can’t be required to, but the company can electronically offer you an extension and you may agree voluntarily, for up to four hours. Once you agree, you can’t rescind it. § 11.O.1 The home base and layover rest rules apply at the end of the extended duty period. § 11.O.3 For up to three hours you are paid at 200% and credited at 100% for the duty period; beyond three hours up to the four-hour maximum it is 300% pay and 100% credit. § 11.O.1.a

What is an ODAN?

An On-Duty All-Nighter is a single, stand-alone duty period that includes all on-duty hours between 0100 and 0500 HBT. § 11.L It’s scheduled for a maximum of 14 hours of duty, though you may be required to stay up to 15. It has no more than two segments, each with no more than 2:30 of block time, and a break between segments, though you may be rescheduled to fly or deadhead one additional segment before or after the break. § 11.L.1 § 11.L.2 § 11.L.3 § 11.L.4 § 11.L.5 The break between segments must be at least five hours and no more than 9:59 of pure rest. § 11.L.4 An ODAN gets an airport hotel if one exists and it is consistent with the comparable properties used for short overnights; if an ODAN has a segment of more than two hours of block time, an airport hotel must be used if one exists. § 6.B.2 § 11.L.6

When do you have to be on board?

On a domestic narrowbody departure with fewer than 161 seats, 30 minutes before scheduled departure. With 161 or more seats, or on a widebody, 35 minutes. § 11.M.1 § 11.M.2 § 11.M.3 A charter that is not boarding from an airport terminal gate is an exception: you are on board 1:15 before scheduled departure. § 18.E The company can increase these only with 60 days’ notice to APFA and flight attendants, up to a maximum set in each paragraph. § 11.M.1.a § 11.M.2.a § 11.M.3.a

Domestic report time is one hour before the originally scheduled departure or actual report time, whichever is later, and release is 15 minutes after block-in or originally scheduled block-in, whichever is later. § 11.N.2 § 11.N.4 For a charter not boarding from an airport terminal gate, report time is two hours before scheduled departure. § 18.E

Are these rules in effect yet?

Not all of them at once. Provisions of the 2024 agreement take effect on the first day of the bid month after ratification unless the Implementation Timeline Letter of Agreement (L1) gives them a later date, and until a delayed provision is implemented the matching provision of the prior agreement stays in effect. § L1.A § L1.E

L1’s Attachment A gives later target dates to some rules on this page: standby duty limits under the domestic duty chart (11.G) and the domestic on-board requirements (11.M) at six months after signing, and the voluntary waiver and pay for extending duty (11.O) at 12 months. [[L1.AttA@2]] This page does not check whether each one has actually gone live, so ask your APFA representative about a specific rule.

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