A B777 CREW REPORTS THAT AN INTL FLT EXCEEDS 12 HOURS MORE THAN 50% OF THE TIME BUT HIS ACR WILL ONLY SCHEDULE 3 PLTS; VIOLATING FAR 121.473.

Narrative

IN THE MORNING I CALLED THE DISPATCH DESK ABOUT XA30 AND ASKED HIM FOR THE PROPOSED BLOCK-TO-BLOCK TIME FOR FLT ZZZ-ZZZZ. I DID THIS BECAUSE THE SAME FLT ON A PREVIOUS TRIP HAD GONE OVER 12 HRS. I WAS INFORMED OF A BLOCK TIME OF 12 HRS 21 MINS BUT THAT THIS WOULD BE UPDATED LATER WITH NEW WINDS. I THEN CALLED CREW TRACKING; TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE; AND NOT KNOWINGLY ALLOW ACR TO VIOLATE FAR RULE 121.473; SINCE WE STILL HAD OVER 3 HRS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED DEP AND A RESERVE COULD BE CALLED OUT. THEY INFORMED ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND TO CALL A CHIEF. I CALLED THE CHIEF PLT BUT HE WAS OUT. I CALLED OPS AND SPOKE WITH THE CHIEF ON DUTY AND HE SAID HE WOULD MAKE A CALL. CHIEF PLT RETURNED MY CALL AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. I THEN CALLED THE FAA CMO AND TRIED TO SPEAK WITH THEM. THIS FLT HAS GONE OVER 12 HRS OVER 50% OF THE TIME DURING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER AND JANUARY; AND YET THE SAFETY OF OUR PAX FROM FLYING WITH A FATIGUED CREW VERSUS THE ECONOMICS OF FLYING WITH 3 PLTS HAS NEVER BEEN OVERRULED. I THEN PROCEEDED TO THE GATE AND DISCOVERED THAT WE HAD A MAINT PROB WHICH WOULD TAKE ABOUT 1 HR TO FIX. I THEN CALLED CREW TRACKING ABOUT DUTY DAY. OUR NORMAL LIMIT WITH AN XD50 BLOCK TIME IS XF30. WE HAD A KNOWN BLOCK TIME OF 12 HRS 24 MINS AND I DID NOT WANT TO VIOLATE THE CONTRACT LIMIT OF 15 HR DUTY DAY. I THOUGHT MY TIME TO PUSH OFF THE GATE SHOULD BE REDUCED TO XE56. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIME WAS STILL BASED ON SCHEDULED. I NOW REALIZED I WAS BEING BACKED INTO A CORNER -- LEGAL BUT STUPID -- OVER 12 HRS BLOCK TIME AND THE POSSIBILITY OF OVER 15 HRS OF DUTY DAY. LUCKILY WE PUSHED BACK AT XE52. WE ARRIVED IN ZZZZ WITH A 12 HR 23 MIN BLOCK TIME AND DUTY DAY OF 14 HRS 55 MINS.