Originally Posted by FmrFreightDog

Well, that's the point. They only need to flex reserves up in the busy months. Reserves are still going to be flying half of guarantee or less in the shoulder months. It's just the nature of the way Delta schedules flights. By allowing them to flex up in the busy months, we have negatively impacted staffing. I'm just pulling numbers out of my head here, but 15 hrs a month more per pilot in a category that has, conservatively, 70 reserves (M88B ATL) equals 1050 pilot hours per month extra that can be flown with existing staffing. Even if you cut that number in half because of 30 in 7 or other issues, you still have the existing staffing model carrying a lot of extra weight in the busy months without ever getting close to the contractual triggers that mandate an increase in staffing. In effect, we've allowed them to staff categories based on demand in the busiest months versus demand in the slow months. This is a huge giveback. The union line that this change had to do with long international trips exceeding ALV and thus being unable to be assigned to reserves is laughable. I refuse to believe the company had that much heartburn with an issue that maybe effects 1% of the schedule on any given day. Really, how many 747 or 777 guys call in sick for a 12 day trip a day, on average? I'd like to know. My bet is nowhere near enough for it to remotely effect the operation due to reserve coverage issues. After all, if an 84 hour trip goes into open time, scheduling can always split it with minimal cost to the company. ALV + 15 was never about reserve coverage of long international trips. It was, and is, about giving the company the flexibility to reduce staffing by working the crap out of domestic narrowbody reserve pilots in the summertime. I don't see how you or anybody else can see it any differently.