When Do I Go Illegal?

During times of irregular operations, weather, or sometimes a series of unlucky events in our work day, it can become necessary to calculate when we go illegal for our duty days. Knowing how to calculate your door closure and illegal duty day times can save you time on hold and help you when time is of the essence.

We can refer to the maximum duty time provisions outlined in Section 6 of our Contract -Minimum Pay and Credit, Hours of Service, and Contractual Legalities.

Domestic Maximum Duty Time

The maximum duty time for domestic flights varies depending on the scheduled or actual start time of the duty period and the specific type of flying in the pairing.

The above duty time provisions are based on the Flight Attendant's Home Domicile Time (HDT).

International Maximum Duty Time

Under no circumstances should a Flight Attendant be required to remain on duty beyond the maximum hours shown in the charts above, including deadheading, without their consent. Contact your LEC office immediately should you encounter issues surrounding the legalities of your pairing. It is good practice

Calculating Door Closure Time and When Flight Attendants Will Go Illegal

To calculate the time at which Flight Attendants will go illegal and the time of required door closure, the following formula can be used for all domestic and international duty times except for the "Non-Stop 12:01 or over" category:

Maximum Actual Duty Time                                                       ___________

Subtract SCHEDULED Duty Time                        –                      ___________

                                                                        =                      ___________

(This now equals how much time until door closure is required for your current flight)

Add Scheduled Departure Time                           +                      ___________  

Equals Time Flight Attendant Required Door Closure     =              ___________

The final calculation represents when the aircraft door must close for Flight Attendants to remain legal. After this calculated door closure time has passed, a Flight Attendant has now become illegal for the remainder of their pairing sequence.

It's important to note that while Flight Attendants may go illegal during a trip based on the maximum duty time, they may still be legal for reassignment to other flights that they can complete within the maximum duty time parameters.

Remember, going illegal doesn't necessarily mean going home.