469 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.273 

§ 135.273

Duty period limitations and 

rest time requirements. 

(a) For purposes of this section— 

Calendar day 

means the period of 

elapsed time, using Coordinated Uni-
versal Time or local time, that begins 
at midnight and ends 24 hours later at 
the next midnight. 

Duty period 

means the period of 

elapsed time between reporting for an 
assignment involving flight time and 
release from that assignment by the 
certificate holder. The time is cal-
culated using either Coordinated Uni-
versal Time or local time to reflect the 
total elapsed time. 

Flight attendant 

means an individual, 

other than a flight crewmember, who is 
assigned by the certificate holder, in 
accordance with the required minimum 
crew complement under the certificate 
holder’s operations specifications or in 
addition to that minimum com-
plement, to duty in an aircraft during 
flight time and whose duties include 
but are not necessarily limited to 
cabin-safety-related responsibilities. 

Rest period 

means the period free of 

all responsibility for work or duty 
should the occasion arise. 

(b) Except as provided in paragraph 

(c) of this section, a certificate holder 
may assign a duty period to a flight at-
tendant only when the applicable duty 
period limitations and rest require-
ments of this paragraph are met. 

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs 

(b)(4), (b)(5), and (b)(6) of this section, 
no certificate holder may assign a 
flight attendant to a scheduled duty 
period of more than 14 hours. 

(2) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b)(3) of this section, a flight attendant 
scheduled to a duty period of 14 hours 
or less as provided under paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section must be given a 
scheduled rest period of at least 9 con-
secutive hours. This rest period must 
occur between the completion of the 
scheduled duty period and the com-
mencement of the subsequent duty pe-
riod. 

(3) The rest period required under 

paragraph (b)(2) of this section may be 
scheduled or reduced to 8 consecutive 
hours if the flight attendant is pro-
vided a subsequent rest period of at 
least 10 consecutive hours; this subse-
quent rest period must be scheduled to 

begin no later than 24 hours after the 
beginning of the reduced rest period 
and must occur between the comple-
tion of the scheduled duty period and 
the commencement of the subsequent 
duty period. 

(4) A certificate holder may assign a 

flight attendant to a scheduled duty 
period of more than 14 hours, but no 
more than 16 hours, if the certificate 
holder has assigned to the flight or 
flights in that duty period at least one 
flight attendant in addition to the min-
imum flight attendant complement re-
quired for the flight or flights in that 
duty period under the certificate hold-
er’s operations specifications. 

(5) A certificate holder may assign a 

flight attendant to a scheduled duty 
period of more than 16 hours, but no 
more than 18 hours, if the certificate 
holder has assigned to the flight or 
flights in that duty period at least two 
flight attendants in addition to the 
minimum flight attendant complement 
required for the flight or flights in that 
duty period under the certificate hold-
er’s operations specifications. 

(6) A certificate holder may assign a 

flight attendant to a scheduled duty 
period of more than 18 hours, but no 
more than 20 hours, if the scheduled 
duty period includes one or more 
flights that land or take off outside the 
48 contiguous states and the District of 
Columbia, and if the certificate holder 
has assigned to the flight or flights in 
that duty period at least three flight 
attendants in addition to the minimum 
flight attendant complement required 
for the flight or flights in that duty pe-
riod under the certificate holder’s oper-
ations specifications. 

(7) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b)(8) of this section, a flight attendant 
scheduled to a duty period of more 
than 14 hours but no more than 20 
hours, as provided in paragraphs (b)(4), 
(b)(5), and (b)(6) of this section, must be 
given a scheduled rest period of at least 
12 consecutive hours. This rest period 
must occur between the completion of 
the scheduled duty period and the com-
mencement of the subsequent duty pe-
riod. 

(8) The rest period required under 

paragraph (b)(7) of this section may be 
scheduled or reduced to 10 consecutive 

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