Post Article Examines 'Crash Pads'

August 6, 2009

A recent article in the Washington Post looked at crash pads, makeshift homes used as an inexpensive housing option for regional airline flight crews. Crash pad owners told the Post that these dorm-like housing arrangements — accommodating 10 to 30 people at one time — are concentrated in cities with major airline operations fed by regional carriers. The article states that most crash pad tenants claim to have sleep issues and abnormal body clocks, attributed to sharing a room with co-workers and their constantly changing flight schedules. Sleep research has shown that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information, but lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals around you. Historic tragedies have been linked to fatigue-related human error, among them the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the NASA Challenger shuttle explosion. According to the Department of Transportation, the last six fatal commercial aviation accidents in the U.S. involved regional air carriers, citing excessive pilot fatigue as a contributing factor.

• Read the Post article.
• Read about the Sleep-Wake Cycle: Its Physiology and Impact on Health.