Now that all US airlines are operating under the new 10 hours rest requirements for flight attendants, we just wanted to check in.

How’s it going?

We know a fair number of you were already employing the 10-hour rule as a scheduling standard, but if you’re one of the few who had some adjustments to make (or maybe still make) you might be feeling the impacts of policy change.

No matter what, we’ve written a handy little list of things to keep in mind as you fly along with your well-rested crews.

This one might seem obvious, but scheduling is the invisible skeleton of your operation; they might be behind the scenes, but they keep everything moving. Veteran schedulers who have been operating under the 8-hour standards might need some extra reminders or training to adapt to 10 hours as the new default.

The best way to see to this? Check-in with your team. Ask them to assess their confidence level in carrying out the new procedures and set up the proper resources in case their answer is anything but “yes!”

Again, make sure the team that’s in charge of building the pairings is good to go by…you guessed it. Checking in with them. Set up additional trainings as needed until your entire planning team is an efficient force to behold.

While you’re doubling down on planning, and especially as we enter IROP season with snowstorms aplenty, in the long run it will benefit your operational integrity to pad those schedules a bit more than usual. Again, people are still adjusting to the new parameters- the last thing you want is to compound any confusion with a wintertime Nor’easter.

Even with all the strategizing in the world, you’re still going to have to make some adjustments; this is where tracking trends comes in. Which bases could use more buffer time? Which could use less? How often were trips delayed in the name of accommodating new rest requirements? You get the drill. Build upon the actual data of months past to refine your way to the most optimal path in building future schedules.

If you were operating under the old 8-hour rule, this is a major win in terms of contract negotiations. What would normally be a fairly large sticking point with the unions is now federally mandated. Consider this as a general suggestion to start considering the next biggest request from your unions before you go to the negotiations table, now that more rest is guaranteed. Happy bargaining!