Calpilot,
I worked my butt off for three different airlines that did just what you say - beat us up with the rules. In all cases the pilots were burn't out.
If anyone at Jetblue needs an example of how the rules will be applied, look no further than our reserve ranks. I've NEVER seen the rules bent as far as they have at Jetblue. So to think that we will ONLY benefit from AMP is, in fact, naive.
I've read on several boards that "pilots have no control over management decisions." Certainly not without representation. But this statement is puzzling none-the-less because we're being told by our management team that this whole project is "pilot driven" and that it was "our" idea. I truly hope we can clear up which it is because either our management team is lying to us our or some of our pilots are lying.
I oppose this project for another reason though. Because our top 200 enjoy enough largesse at the expense of the growing masses. These trips will rise to the very top and the ones that don't will get foisted on some poor reserve.
Jetblue pilots of seniority 400 and higher LISTEN UP!
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!
When the scheduling committee gets back surveys that claim that the pilot population values productivity above all else, and when transcon turns get built into our pairings, and when AMP and the 8 hour rule bolster reserve utilization it will take fewer pilots to run the airline.
Again - it will take FEWER pilots to run the airline. That's great for profit sharing but my life seems to revolve more around base pay since I joined Jetblue.
FEWER pilots for a given set of hours means:
1. Smaller bases.
2. Longer upgrades times.
3. Longer times on reserve.
4. Possibly fewer Airbuses for a given business plan.
Again, great for the bottom line but so is 190 pay.
Is it selfish to think this way? Well, I'm just stating the obvious but we all know that pilots think selfishly - although I've seen them do some pretty impressive things when they stick together. I would also ask, is it selfish to chase after trans-con turns when your in the top 200? If it's all in the name of profit sharing I guess anything is OK.
We'll see how this all turns out. Maybe I'm wrong and the ENTIRE industry will benefit from this program. If it becomes another tool for the rich to get richer you know that I won't be caught resting.
One more word on AMP. Does anyone else find it a little anoying and somewhat "big brotherish" that we are going to be advised on how to take care of ourselves at home in order to come to work rested? I'll spend my time with my family the way I want to and I will seek to maximize it at every opportunity. I don't need a lecture on how to do that.
What I have just laid out is something that (at this point) I would never say in a pocket session - so this message board for me has once again proven it's worth.
Fly safe friends.