Apparently, the Federal Aviation Administration now wants to do all it can to help protect passengers against fatigued pilots. This is being done for the passengers’ safety. In fact, this news comes just three years after a regional airline operated by two tired pilots ended up in a very deadly crash in western New York. After that, officials all agreed that this is an issue that has to be addressed.

This new update to the rule is supposed to help better reflect the understanding that pilots need their rest to fly safely. It is also supposed to help show an understanding that traveling through different time zones all the time can really increase human error.

The truth of the matter is that some of these regulations have not been updated since back in the ’60s. In fact, experts in the airline industry have been screaming for the rules to be updated because they are out of date. Ray LaHood, who is the transportation secretary, said that the update is a huge deal. This is as far as the government has ever gone to protect the public from fatigued pilots.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been pressed for more than two decades by safety advocates to update work regulations for pilots. Of course, previous attempts to do so have been stalled by airlines and pilots unions. Apparently, the two sides cannot agree on the changes.

The ruling is supposed to help protect passengers while flying. No one wants to be stuck on a plane with a pilot who is too tired to fly right. Hopefully, this new rule can keep that from happening. However, no one will know for sure until it goes into effect.