Red-Eye Flying

How is Red-Eye Flying Defined in TA2?

A flight that has any portion of it operating between 0200 to 0400 is considered a red-eye flight.

Segments Before and After a Red-Eye Work

Segments before and after a Red Eye have specific requirements under TA2.

If your duty period contains a red-eye, it may not be scheduled or rescheduled for more than two working segments. Additionally, you can not be scheduled or rescheduled to work a flight after a red-eye. If you make a stop during your flight for unplanned reasons (e.g., weather, emergencies, or fuel), the flight will retain its nonstop status. If the flight makes a stop for revenue purposes (load or unload passengers or freight unrelated to emergencies), it will not be considered a non-stop flight and will be subject to red-eye duty limitations.

This means that you can only have one working segment before a redeye and no working segments after the redeye.  

Deadhead Conversion on Pairings After a Red-Eye

You may be scheduled or rescheduled to deadhead following a red-eye, but you are not eligible to be converted to work any segment following a red-eye. After the deadhead segment, you must be released to rest.

High-Time Pairings Containing Red-Eyes

In order to capture some high-hour turns, an exception has been made for the duty limitations for red-eye flying. This helps reduce redeye segments within multiday trips, which are undesirable, and allows for more high time one day turns.   A single duty period pairing which contains a red-eye flight, may be scheduled for up to fourteen hours (14:00) and operated up to sixteen hours (16:00) on an actual basis so long as the duty period contains no more than two flight segments and ground time no greater than two hours and thirty minutes (2:30). This provision will cover some of the long-haul flights that can not be operated all year round due to weather affecting the flight times (i.e. MCO-LAX).