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The 10-Hour Rest Rule — and Why the Hotel Shuttle Matters

§117.25(e) is two rules stacked on top of each other, and the second one is the one crews actually trip over.

Rule 1: ten hours, from release

Before every reserve or duty period you must have at least 10 consecutive hours free of all duty, measured from the moment you are released. Not from wheels-down, not from the hotel shuttle — from release. Everything you do after release (deplaning paperwork aside, that is duty) starts the clock.

Rule 2: eight of those hours must be a sleep opportunity

Inside the 10 hours there must be a minimum of 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep opportunity. A 10-hour rest with a 90-minute shuttle, late room, and an early crew car can easily leave fewer than 8 uninterrupted hours — and that is a company problem to fix, not yours to absorb.

§117.25(f): if you determine your rest will not provide 8 uninterrupted hours, you must notify the certificate holder — and you cannot report for the assigned FDP until you receive a compliant rest. This is the legal hook behind "I can't make showtime."

The rolling 30-hour week

Before beginning any reserve or duty period you must have had at least 30 consecutive hours free from all duty somewhere in the past 168 hours (§117.25(b)). It is a rolling window, not a calendar week — a Monday–Sunday roster can still break it.

The less-quoted rest rules

Deadhead overrun (§117.25(g)): if you deadhead beyond your applicable FDP, you get rest equal to the deadhead length (never less than the 10-hour minimum) before the next FDP.
Long trip home (§117.25(d)): more than 60° of longitude traveled while away over 168 consecutive hours triggers a minimum 56-hour rest on return, covering three physiological nights' rest.
Acclimation (§117.25(c)): 36 consecutive hours of rest in a new theater makes you acclimated and counts toward the 30-hour weekly break.

Rest is not the same as "no duties"

During a rest period the company cannot assign anything — including reserve availability, training, or administrative work (§117.25(a)). Answering scheduling emails is a duty. If it happens during your rest, the rest was never compliant.

Check your rest window against your showtime in the free Part 117 calculator.

Verified against eCFR 14 CFR 117.25. Educational only — your CBA may give you more.