Airline Pilot Central Forums - Regional

Ae Vac/disp Bid

RJ Pilot — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:10:36 GMT

48185 E14fd8
0nov09/1606
O: All Pilots 1 Of 3
Vacancy/displacement Bid Is Open Eff <21 Nov 2009

*vacancies* *enter Training No Later Than*
<14 Dfw Ca Crj <01 Jan 11
<12 Dfw Fo Crj <01 Jan 11
<11 Ord Ca Crj <01 Jan 11
<35 Ord Fo Crj <01 Jan 11
<45 Dfw Ca Emj <01 Jan 11
<37 Dfw Fo Emj <01 Jan 11
<17 Lga Ca Emj <01 Jan 11
<18 Lga Fo Emj <01 Jan 11

Cont From Page 1 2 Of 3 �
.
*displacements* *enter Training No Later Than*
<19 Jfk Ca Emj <01 Jan 11
<22 Jfk Fo Emj <01 Jan 11
<08 Lax Ca Emj <01 Jan 11
<03 Dfw Fo Atr <01 Jan 11
<05 Mia Ca Atr <01 Jan 11
<14 Mia Fo Atr <01 Jan 11
<07 Sju Ca Atr <01 Jan 11

This Bid Will Close At 2300ct On 06dec09 And Is Scheduled
To Be Run On 07dec09. A Preliminary Award May Follow.
Pilots Entering Training Within 14 Days Of The Actual Run Date
Will Be Subject To A Training Freeze And Will Not Be Awarded
A Vacancy Per Cba Section 15.i.2 And 3. A Final Award Will
Be Posted On 13dec09
Cont Pg 3<
31:)

Preferential Bid System

The Stig — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:28:15 GMT

So, which regionals have PBS, and which don't?

Bill Seeks to Allow Airlines Access to CVR's

JetJock16 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:00:01 GMT

Bill Seeks to Allow Airlines Access to Cockpit Conversations - WSJ.com

By ANDY PASZTOR
Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, plans to introduce a bill that would break a taboo in the airline industry: allowing airlines to use information from cockpit voice recorders in cases against pilots they want to discipline or fire.

Current labor contracts effectively bar major U.S. carriers from relying on information gathered from cockpit-recorders, or, in some cases, flight-data recorders to punish pilots or monitor their performance during trips. But the proposed legislation seeks to overturn those longstanding restrictions in both areas, which is already riling pilot union leaders.

The move also shines a spotlight on privacy and other complex legal questions surrounding the use of such information by airlines to make personnel decisions.

Today, cockpit voice recorder data doesn't become public or lead to actions against pilots unless there is an accident or serious incident investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. Allowing airlines to use the information for their own personnel decisions would significantly open up an area that currently is considered to be an almost private sanctum for accident investigators.

Called the "Pilot Professionalism Assurance Act," the bill drafted by the Sen. DeMint envisions downloading voice or flight-data recorders "to discipline or discharge a pilot . . . for actions that endanger the safety or well being of passengers." The bill also proposes using previously sacrosanct recordings of cockpit conversations "to evaluate or monitor the judgment or performance of an individual pilot."

Sen. DeMint has not yet formally introduced his legislation and it is unclear what type of support it might find in Congress. The legislation is bound to face stiff resistance from both pilot unions -- and potentially the FAA and the NTSB. One of their principal objections is that the bill could put a chill on the current system of voluntary reporting of safety lapses by pilots. Currently, pilots are encouraged to file anonymous reports on safety problems that arise in the course of duty. Allowing airlines to review cockpit recordings could make pilots more reticent to report shortcomings because they might worry that they would be exposed to disciplinary action from their employer.

However, the bill comes in the wake of several commercial-aircraft accidents and incidents, including the bizarre October flight of a Northwest Airlines jet that lost contact with air-traffic controllers for more than an hour and overflew its destination. The pilots, whose licenses were revoked after the slip-up, told investigators they were engrossed in conversation about revised crew-scheduling procedures and became distracted by turning on and using their personal laptops on the flight deck.

That has created new impetus for stricter pilot oversight measures. There have been two attempts on Capitol Hill in recent weeks to draft legislation supporting installation of video recorders in cockpits. Pilot union officials successfully lobbied and managed to head off those efforts. The Air Line Pilots Association or ALPA, which is the largest pilot union in North America, is gearing up to quietly try to kill the DeMint bill before it is introduced, according to people familiar with the matter.

The escalating controversy focuses on how pilot professionalism conflicts with recent examples of distraction and lax safety standards in the cockpit. Randy Babbitt, the head of the FAA, has spoken out strongly on the need to enhance pilot performance and raise the safety bar by having larger airlines and veteran pilots mentor less experienced pilots at the smaller commuter partners.

But so far, the FAA chief has opposed drastic moves such as stripping cockpit recorders of the confidentiality they have enjoyed for decades. Currently, flight-data recorders are routinely screened for unusual occurrences, but the analysis is done privately inside each airline and the results generally don't become public.

John Prater, president of ALPA, has previously said media pressure shouldn't "lead our industry in a direction that is detrimental to the goal of accident and incident prevention."

Earlier this week. Mr. Prater put out a statement urging Congress to avoid "drafting legislation that simply reacts to events already under investigation."

Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com

No More Cracks on the CEO's Mom...

JT8D — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:37:20 GMT

Taken from another forum:

Bill Seeks to Allow Airlines Access to Cockpit Conversations:

By ANDY PASZTOR

Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, plans to introduce a bill that would break a taboo in the airline industry: allowing airlines to use information from cockpit voice recorders in cases against pilots they want to discipline or fire.

Current labor contracts effectively bar major U.S. carriers from relying on information gathered from cockpit-recorders, or, in some cases, flight-data recorders to punish pilots or monitor their performance during trips. But the proposed legislation seeks to overturn those longstanding restrictions in both areas, which is already riling pilot union leaders.

The move also shines a spotlight on privacy and other complex legal questions surrounding the use of such information by airlines to make personnel decisions.

Today, cockpit voice recorder data doesn't become public or lead to actions against pilots unless there is an accident or serious incident investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. Allowing airlines to use the information for their own personnel decisions would significantly open up an area that currently is considered to be an almost private sanctum for accident investigators.

Called the "Pilot Professionalism Assurance Act," the bill drafted by the Sen. DeMint envisions downloading voice or flight-data recorders "to discipline or discharge a pilot . . . for actions that endanger the safety or well being of passengers." The bill also proposes using previously sacrosanct recordings of cockpit conversations "to evaluate or monitor the judgment or performance of an individual pilot."

Sen. DeMint has not yet formally introduced his legislation and it is unclear what type of support it might find in Congress. The legislation is bound to face stiff resistance from both pilot unions -- and potentially the FAA and the NTSB. One of their principal objections is that the bill could put a chill on the current system of voluntary reporting of safety lapses by pilots. Currently, pilots are encouraged to file anonymous reports on safety problems that arise in the course of duty. Allowing airlines to review cockpit recordings could make pilots more reticent to report shortcomings because they might worry that they would be exposed to disciplinary action from their employer.

However, the bill comes in the wake of several commercial-aircraft accidents and incidents, including the bizarre October flight of a Northwest Airlines jet that lost contact with air-traffic controllers for more than an hour and overflew its destination. The pilots, whose licenses were revoked after the slip-up, told investigators they were engrossed in conversation about revised crew-scheduling procedures and became distracted by turning on and using their personal laptops on the flight deck.

That has created new impetus for stricter pilot oversight measures. There have been two attempts on Capitol Hill in recent weeks to draft legislation supporting installation of video recorders in cockpits. Pilot union officials successfully lobbied and managed to head off those efforts. The Air Line Pilots Association or ALPA, which is the largest pilot union in North America, is gearing up to quietly try to kill the DeMint bill before it is introduced, according to people familiar with the matter.

The escalating controversy focuses on how pilot professionalism conflicts with recent examples of distraction and lax safety standards in the cockpit. Randy Babbitt, the head of the FAA, has spoken out strongly on the need to enhance pilot performance and raise the safety bar by having larger airlines and veteran pilots mentor less experienced pilots at the smaller commuter partners.

But so far, the FAA chief has opposed drastic moves such as stripping cockpit recorders of the confidentiality they have enjoyed for decades. Currently, flight-data recorders are routinely screened for unusual occurrences, but the analysis is done privately inside each airline and the results generally don't become public.

John Prater, president of ALPA, has previously said media pressure shouldn't "lead our industry in a direction that is detrimental to the goal of accident and incident prevention."

Earlier this week. Mr. Prater put out a statement urging Congress to avoid "drafting legislation that simply reacts to events already under investigation."

Hey Senator how about if we record every interaction you have with your interns and secretaries and allow your wife to listen to them? We've got to assure your professionalism too don't we?

Here's the link if anyone wants to give this asshat a piece of their mind:

www.senate.gov - This page cannot be found.

International Jumpseating on Xjet

TBucket — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:45:52 GMT

Is it true that you cannot jumpseat internationally as an OAL pilot on Expressjet anymore? Despite having done it numerous times in the past, I was told today in IAH that "You can't do that". After taking it to several "redcoats" the operations people even printed me some sort of document that says OAL pilots can't jumpseat internationally. (THey even claimed mainline CO cannot jumpseat internationally on xjt)

Is this just a thing with the IAH station or a policy change for the entire airline?

Help With NonRev on Mesaba

ASQRJDRIVER — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:57 GMT

Is there anyway to tell by looking at Delta Travelnet if a jumpseater is listed on a Mesaba flight, use to be able to tell by looking on the old NWA PARS system. Thanks for any help, trying to plan for the holiday.

Allegiant ranked #2 on top small companies

USMC3197 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:31:32 GMT

In Depth: Top 20 Small Public Companies In America - 2. Allegiant Travel - Forbes.com

Good for them! And who says mad dogs are a thing of the past... :rolleyes:

Professionalism while Jumpseating/RAH

pjflyer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:45:42 GMT

So I just have to know why anyone feels they should deny or give attitude toward any crew member at RAH trying to jumpseat to work/home? I already have experienced this first hand and have talked with numerous others that have as well. Are there really CA's out there that believe that we stole the YX flying? Do they think we all voted or took concessions to get this new flying. The truth is not 1 pilot at RAH had any clue as to the whole YX buyout. Not one crew member was hired here knowing any of this would happen. Should we really be punished? If there are any Captains who feel that all RAH (Chautauqua, Republic, Shuttle America, Frontier, Lynx) should not have jumpseating rights on their aircraft please at least identify yourselves to us and your jumpseat committee so appropriate action may be taken. The aircraft at YX were sold/returned before the buyout. The YX management screwed each crew member there, yet you feel the blame lies with RAH crewmembers? Who are you and who do you work for?

AWAC Hiring Spring 2010

JayHub — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:03:13 GMT

Their site says that they are accepting Pilot resumes in 'anticipation of potential' hiring in early spring 2010.

Hang on.......have the management and the union come to an agreement on the United flying?

Or

Is this 'extra' flying on the US Airways side?

Mesa's AmericaWest Exclusivity?

Theonemarine — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:57:57 GMT

Anyone know when Mesa's exclusivity contract to fly out in Phoenix for West (US Airways) is up? I heard that it ended well before their contract for flying with Airways was up. Just curious if anyone knew the timeframe before there may be some shuffling for new west flying in the Airways system.

XJT undercut AWAC?

DMEarc — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:41:41 GMT

Congrats to XJT, first off.

Time to play devils advocate.

ExpressJet guys are always in a hurry to slam anyone for undercutting them- CHQ, CJC, and UCA.

But-

Can you guys defend how your concessionary contract undercut AWAC (who is also operating under a concessionary contract)?

Newarkblows, Clocks? Biggest whiners on the board...lets hear it.

Xjet to fly 22 airplanes for UAL

Clocks — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:24:07 GMT

United Airlines Announces New Partnership With ExpressJet

ExpressJet to Operate 22 Aircraft as Replacement Flying for United Express

CHICAGO, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UAL Corporation (Nasdaq: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today announced that ExpressJet Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of ExpressJet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XJT) will operate 22 ERJ-145 aircraft under the United Express brand.
This new flying, which will begin on May 1, 2010, will replace flying previously done by other United Express partner carriers whose contracts have expired and is consistent with the 2010 capacity outlook United provided in its third quarter earnings conference call.
"We have worked with ExpressJet previously for short-term flying contracts, and they provided our customers with exceptional service," said Cindy Szadokierski - vice president Airport Operations Planning and United Express. "ExpressJet offered us the most competitive bid, enabling us to continue to operate efficiently in this difficult environment."
"We are pleased that our commitment to exceptional operational performance coupled with a highly competitive economic model provided ExpressJet the opportunity to offer replacement flying for United Airlines under a multi-year arrangement," said Jim Ream - president and chief executive officer of ExpressJet. "This award represents a tremendous opportunity for our company and I know ExpressJet employees are excited to deliver the very best service to United's customers."
About United
United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA) operates approximately 3,300* flights a day on United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 1,071 destinations in 171 countries worldwide. United's 47,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at united.com or follow United on Twitter @UnitedAirlines.

*Based on United's forward-looking flight schedule for October 2009 to October 2010. About ExpressJet
ExpressJet Holdings operates several divisions designed to leverage the management experience, efficiencies and economies of scale present in its subsidiaries, including ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. and ExpressJet Services, LLC. ExpressJet Airlines serves 130 scheduled destinations in North America and the Caribbean with approximately 1,100 departures per day. Operations include a capacity purchase agreements for United and Continental as well as providing clients customized 41-seat and 50-seat charter options; and supplying third-party aviation and ground handling services. For more information, visit www.expressjet.com.

CRJ-100/-200 Automatic Power Reserve

TonyWilliams — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:43:53 GMT

Has there ever been an instance of uncommanded activation of APR ?

What are the parameters for activation of ARP?

Single engine turbo or piston multi

stunami — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:48:40 GMT

Which time will make a low hour pilot more marketable, single engine turbo prop (Caravan) or piston twin time?

Thank you AWAC MEC

wags3539 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:56:45 GMT

Sorry this is kind of long, but to sum it up, AWAC management wants us to take 16% pay cuts to secure United flying. I'm glad our MEC was strong enough to realize that this is a joke, and a direct slap in the face to the fellow union pilots at MAG. I only hope the rest of the groups involved in this United RFP feel the same way, so we can send a message to management that the race to the bottom stops now.

13-2009
Pilots,

As mentioned in yesterday�s Fast Read, the Master Executive Council traveled to headquarters in Appleton this afternoon to receive a briefing from the company with regard to the UAL RFP. Present for the company were Jim Rankin, Bob Frisch, and Joel Kuplack. Representing ALPA were all LEC representatives, MEC officers, Bill Patterson, and Jane Schraft.

The company presented a brief summary outlining the history of the RFP to date, which they believe is in some form of its� final stages. The MEC was advised that Air Wisconsin stands a good chance of obtaining this new business if several factors play out, one of which involves the pilots directly, which is what I will focus on tonight. In costing pilot liability (expense), Air Wisconsin felt they needed to significantly reduce pilot cost in order to remain a part of the RFP, let alone be competitive. In light of this estimation, they submitted what ultimately was a 16 percent reduction from current CBA figures. This 16 percent is for UAL (new) flying, which, when shared across the US Airways flying would be an estimated 5-6 percent global concession from the current contract. While the MEC did not know prior to today�s meeting what the briefing would entail, we certainly were not surprised by the request for give backs due to past experience, and were prepared to respond. With this as the back drop, the MEC unilaterally rejected the company�s request for concessions to obtaining new flying. There are many reasons for the MEC to respond in this fashion, and the following represent some key components they weighed prior to taking this position:

-This pilot group is currently working under an agreement that has suffered deep, unrealized concessions for UAL

-This pilot group is being squeezed daily for maximum productivity under the current agreement

-We believe our pilot costing models show that Air Wisconsin pilots are indeed cost comparable to other pilot groups with secured flying for UAL

-The UAL RFP is direct replacement flying for MESA Airlines, another APLA carrier. It is against ALPA policy, as resolved at the 2006 ALPA National Board of Directors meeting, to accept concessions in the name of growth or to take flying previously performed by another ALPA carrier.

The above are just some of the MEC�s concerns and a part of their reasoning process which led to this decision. It is a high priority of your ALPA representatives to help ensure that Air Wisconsin remains successful, profitable, and a long term employment option for our pilots. With that in mind, we certainly hold high hope that our owners and senior leadership find a way to secure additional flying, most certainly with United Airlines. It is, however, not acceptable to have this growth lay on the backs of our professional pilots.
We believe that the business model of �cheap, at all costs� is a business model that works very well in a bankruptcy era, but that era has long since past. Now is the time for quality to thrive, and Air Wisconsin built its reputation on quality. We are indeed concerned about the future of Air Wisconsin, beyond 2015, and we feel the best road to a prosperous future is by adhering to quality and having a solid, time proven business plan - a plan that does not participate in the recently popular �race to the bottom�.

Your ALPA representatives will continue to work with Air Wisconsin management to maintain and enhance the production of a safe, efficient and quality product. Although we are disappointed that our management has again placed the fate of our growth in the employee�s hands, rather than in headquarters where that responsibility belongs, we remain confident that in the end our company will find success in quality, not quantity.

Please feel free to contact any of your elected leaders to discuss this update further. We appreciate your involvement and most certainly will provide additional hotlines should there be any future developments.

In Unity, and to our future