Federal Aviation Administration regulations strictly mandate that commercial flight crews receive a legally required minimum rest period of ten consecutive hours before they can…

Federal Aviation Administration regulations strictly mandate that commercial flight crews receive a legally required minimum rest period of ten consecutive hours before they can operate another aircraft; because airlines operate on razor-thin profit margins and constantly schedule crews with zero margin for error, a delayed incoming flight frequently means your outgoing flight will be sitting aimlessly on the tarmac while waiting for a single flight attendant to finish their mandatory nap, and while the airline industry loves to vaguely blame these agonizing delays on mysterious operational issues or unpredictable weather patterns, in reality, your highly anticipated tropical vacation is being held hostage because Susan from the Dallas hub has not reached her legally mandated REM sleep quota yet, meaning you get to spend four hours paying airport bar prices for stale pretzels while the transportation conglomerate fails at basic logistics!