Flight crew fatigue II: short-haul fixed-wing air transport operations.

We monitored 74 crewmembers before, during, and after 3-4-d commercial short-haul trips crossing no more than one time zone per 24 h. The average duty day lasted 10.6 duty hours, with 4.5 flight hours and 5.5 flights. On trips, crewmembers slept less, woke earlier, and reported having more difficulty falling asleep, with lighter, less restful sleep than pretrip. The consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and snacks increased on trip days, as did reports of headaches, congested nose, and back pain. The study suggests the following ways of reducing fatigue during these operations: base the duration of rest periods on duty hours as well as flight hours; avoid scheduling rest periods progressively earlier across a trip; minimize early duty report times; and inform crewmembers about strategic use of caffeine and alternatives to alcohol for relaxing before sleep.