Running out of time - Air France pilots

Air France Jet Stranded in Manchester as Pilot Runs Out of Hours

(Bloomberg) -- Passengers on an Air France flight from New York to Paris on Feb. 22 wound up in Manchester after the pilot landed the Airbus A380 superjumbo with 440 travelers prematurely in the U.K. to avoid exceeding maximum work hours.

The flight had already been six hours late when it left New York because of bad weather, according to Paris-based Air France. By the time the double-decker jet touched down in Manchester, the pilot had clocked almost almost 13 hours of work, more than the 11 maximum permitted by European Union regulation, the airline said. Covering the distance from Manchester to Paris typically takes about 1.5 hours on a plane.

The A380 was unable to continue with rested crew following the Manchester hiatus because of a pressurization fault, forcing the airline to dispatch three smaller planes and fetch the stranded passengers. The carrier is contacting each of its customers to propose compensation.

"Given a need to respect European regulations concerning maximum hours for flying personnel, the crew had to make a stop at Manchester," the airline said in a statement today. "The airline understands well the exasperation of its customers in this situation."