By JOAN LOWY
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – The government told passenger airlines Wednesday they’ll have to do more to ensure pilots aren’t too tired to fly, nearly three years after the deadly western New York crash of a regional airliner flown by two exhausted pilots.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s update of airline pilot work rules, some of which dated to the 1960s, reflects a better understanding of the need for rest and how night shifts and traveling through time zones can increase errors.
“This is a big deal,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “This is as far as our government has ever gone” to protect the traveling public from pilot fatigue.