B747-400 FLT CREW FEELS FLIGHT FROM ZZZZ1 TO ZZZZ2 REQUIRED FOUR PERSON FLT CREW. COMPANY REJECTS THE PLEA; ADVISING THE 'SCHEDULED' FLT TIME WAS TWELVE HOURS OR LESS. ACTUAL BLOCK TO BLOCK TIME WAS 13:25.

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MY SCHEDULE HAD BEEN PUBLISHED WITH A 4 MAN CREW. INDEED; CLEARLY OVER 12 HRS WITH THE SECOND LEG SHOWING 12 HRS EVEN. THIS FLT WAS CHANGED TO A LAYOVER IN ZZZZ1 AND THE CREW DROPPED TO 3 PLTS. UPON ARR AT THE ACFT; WE WERE HANDED A FLT PLAN SHOWING 12 HR 39 MIN FLT TIME TO ZZZZ2. I INQUIRED AS TO THE LEGALITY OF THIS CLEARLY WELL OVER 12 HR FLT UNDER PART 121 FLAG OPS AND ONLY 3 PLTS. I DID NOT FEEL THIS WAS A LEGAL CREW COMPLEMENT FOR THIS FLT. I RECEIVED ALMOST IMMEDIATE RESPONSE BACK THAT THE CHIEF PLT OK'ED THE OP AS IT WAS SCHEDULED FOR 12 HRS OR LESS AND; THEREFORE; STILL LEGAL EVEN THOUGH THE FLT TIME CAME IN OVER BY 39 MINS. THIS TIME DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR ANY GND TAXI TIME WHATSOEVER. IF YOU FACTOR IN ONLY 20 MINS OF TAXI ONTO THE BLOCK-TO-BLOCK; YOU ARE LOOKING AT A FLT TIME OF NEARLY 1 HR OVER WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY PLANNED. THIS WOULD REQUIRE A PRETTY SERIOUS CHANGE IN THE AVERAGE WINDS ALOFT. I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT THIS FLT WAS AN HONEST 12 HR SCHEDULED RUN. ALTHOUGH I DON'T HAVE THE AVERAGE TIMES OF OTHER FLTS FROM ZZZZ1 TO ZZZZ2; IT DOES APPEAR TO ME THAT THE SCHEDULE WAS MANIPULATED TO SHOW A 12 HR SCHEDULED OP WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT IT WOULD EXCEED THAT. AS PER THE DIRECTION OF THE CHIEF PLT; I TOOK THE FLT KNOWING MY FLT WOULD PROBABLY BLOCK IN AT AROUND 13 HRS. THE ACTUAL FLT TIME FLOWN WAS 12 HRS 48 MINS; BLOCK 13 HRS 25 MINS.