United Airlines Now Tells Pilots No Drinking for 12 Hours Before Shift Starts
Skift Take
United's change is a sensible move. People should feel more comfortable knowing United's pilots must take their final drink 12 hours prior to reporting for duty, rather than eight. That said, some pilots may still make mistakes.
One week after two pilots were arrested in Scotland for failing an alcohol breath test before operating a flight, United Airlines has tightened rules for when pilots must stop drinking before they report to duty, according to a new bulletin.
The airline's pilots now must take their final sip of alcohol 12 hours before their pre-departure duty period begins. Before Saturday, pilots were allowed eight hours from their final drink to the start of their work period, a period the industry calls "bottle to throttle."
"This policy is being changed to help assure pilot compliance with standards established by the United States and individual states where United operates around the world," United said in a flight operations pilot bulletin.
United's policy is now more stringent than required by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has an eight-hour bottl
