Cabin crew standby explained: ASBY, HSBY, and what happens when you are activated

Airport standby (ASBY) vs home standby (HSBY)

Airport standby means you report to the airport at a specified time and remain available in or near the crew room for the duration of your standby window. You are physically present at the airport and can be assigned a duty immediately. Your FDP starts at your airport report time - not at the moment you are assigned a flight.

Home standby means you are on call from home (or within a defined travel distance of the airport). You do not report anywhere unless activated. Your FDP does not start until activation - specifically, until crew control gives you your report time. The FDP then runs from that report time, not from when the phone rang.

The distinction matters for cumulative limits. Airport standby contributes to your cumulative FDP and rest cycle from the moment you report, even if you are never assigned a flight. Home standby in itself does not count as duty time under EASA - it becomes duty only on activation.

Does standby count as duty time?

Under EASA ORO.FTL, airport standby counts as a duty period from the start of the standby window. This affects your cumulative duty limits, your rest requirement before the standby, and the rest required after it - even if you were never called. A four-hour ASBY at 05:00 is a four-hour duty starting at 05:00, with all the rest implications that follow.

Home standby, until activation, does not count as duty time under EASA. However, you still need to have had adequate rest before the standby period starts, because you may be activated at any point. Many airlines impose stricter internal rules than the EASA minimum - check your operations manual or collective agreement for your airline's specific standby rules.

When does FDP start on standby activation?

For home standby: FDP starts at your report time after activation. Crew control gives you a report time - that is when FDP begins. The time between the activation call and your report time is not counted as FDP, but you need to actually get to the airport and be ready to operate by that report time.

The notice period - the minimum time between the activation call and your report time - is set by your contract or collective agreement. Under EASA the minimum notice period for home standby activation is not specified in the regulation itself; it is left to the operator's approved FTL scheme. Most schemes specify something in the range of one to two hours. If crew control calls you and gives you a report time that does not meet the minimum notice period in your approved scheme, you are entitled to point this out and have the report time adjusted.

Once FDP starts, the same EASA FDP limits apply as for any other duty - adjusted by your report time and number of sectors. See our EASA FDP tracker for how Layvr calculates limits from your activation report time.

Rest requirements after standby into full duty

If your standby converts to a full duty - and particularly if that duty involves an overnight or a long FDP - the rest required after that duty is calculated from your release time at the end of the duty, not from the end of your original standby window. This is an important distinction if your standby was ASBY: even though FDP started when you reported for standby, the rest required after the eventual duty runs from when you are finally released.

Minimum rest at home base under EASA is 12 hours (measured from release to next report). Away from base it is 10 hours, with an 8-hour sleep opportunity protected within that window. If your standby-to-duty resulted in a late release and you have an early report the next day, check that the minimum rest is actually achievable. If it is not, that is a rostering error that should be corrected before you operate.

How your airline communicates activation

Most airlines activate home standby by phone call to a number you have registered as your standby contact number. Some use apps or crew management systems that can send push notifications. The key rule is that activation is only valid when you have actually been informed - an unanswered call does not constitute activation. If you miss the call, your airline's policy will determine what happens next, but you are generally not in breach of duty until a reasonable attempt to reach you has been made and a defined period has elapsed without response.

Keep your phone on and audible for the duration of your home standby window. If you need to leave the defined standby radius for any reason during a home standby, most contracts require you to inform crew control in advance.