Budget airline pilots “tired and stressed”

Pilots working for no-frills carriers have said they sometimes lose concentration because they are so tired, according to research. The Independent newspaper today reports on a survey carried out at the University of Leicester, which found that more than half of pilots working for budget carriers are “tired and stressed” at work. The researchers found that some pilots are working as many as six days in succession, others going as long as 12 hours without a break for a meal, and some crews being forced to “plane-hop” – rushing from one flight to another – to keep up with punishing flight schedules. Dr Simon Bennett, who carried out the research, reportedly told the newspaper: “The business model that underpins the low-cost carrier operations, with its emphasis on securing the maximum return on physical and human capital, has the potential to compromise safety. “While stress and fatigue are difficult to measure, and while the pilots’ statements were informed by subjective self-assessments, it is clear that further research is required.”