New pilot rules went into effect over the weekend. The rules will limit how many hours a pilot can spend in the cockpit and will make sure that they have enough time to sleep between flights to fight pilot fatigue.
As of Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now requires that all commercial pilots get 30 uninterrupted hours off-duty each week, which is a 25 percent increase from the previous requirements, CBS reports.
Before a pilot starts flyings, they must have a 10-hour rest period before, eight of which include uninterrupted sleep. Depending on when the flight begins, the pilot can only spend eight to nine hours in the cockpit. The rules don't apply to cargo pilots.
Airline safety consultant, Barry Schiff spoke to CBS about how pilots can get very tired on long flights since they don't get a break.
"When the passengers are asleep in the cabin, the pilots are up there working," Schiff said. "It can be mentally fatiguing."
The new rule is expected to cause some changes in flight schedules and there may be added delays, especially with the recent disruptions caused by poor weather. There can be further disruptions if a crew's time limit runs out and there needs to be a replacement.
"Everything we know about planning for and operating in winter storms, de-ice events, spring thunderstorms, summer rolling [air-traffic control delay] programs and hurricane season will change on some level," Marisa Von Wieding, vice president of systems operations control for JetBlue Airways, said according to the Wall Street Journal.
Pilot fatigue was recognized as a big issue following a Colgan Air crash in 2009. About 50 people were killed when the plane crashed near Buffalo, NY. It was determined that pilot fatigue was the cause, so the FAA had to make changes to the pilot rest policy.
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