Originally Posted by
shiznit
Win for FTB! Already in the PWA:
5.E.10. A pilot scheduled for a layover of more than 12 hours (block-to-block) will receive lodging at a downtown hotel.
Exception one: Such lodging may be provided at a hotel in the vicinity of the airport if the MEC Hotel Committee has approved the use of such hotel in connection with the layover.
(bold mine)
The MEC Hotel Committee Chairman has met with DAL Flt Ops Mgt and changed min layover times for designated cities for this reason. (after making the recommendations to the MEC and getting direction/permission to pursue said changes)
I win.
Yeah I saw that (the bold) and I get it with respect to NYC, but it kind of doesn't explain why we stay at some of these other places. The reason we were told for years we wouldn't go to downtown JAN was because it wasn't safe, well, we're back to downtown.
I guess, how does it work? I've heard conflicting stories supposedly of how hotels get chosen and I'm kind of curious. Can ALPA say you're not putting our crews in these locations or is that solely up to the company until the company decides on a non-downtown location then ALPA must approve?
It seems like everything is oriented to finding a downtown
even if it is the most illogical choice you could make. PHF was a great example. Across the road basically from the airport is the largest/safest/best mall in the area and packed with the typical ancillary stuff surrounding it, but, contract says downtown so off they went to a dump somewhere near Williamsburg- but not really. Then when crews complained they decided to go find another downtown and decided on the not so safe and nearly dead downtown in my hometown of Hampton, which is a half hour away. To get there you passed two major commercial shopping areas.
ASA and AirTran crews meanwhile drove across the street and were better off in every way. It's something I see in some locations where you pass decent locals and safe areas to drive to a dead downtown nobody goes too, except it has this one bar, maybe, sometimes open, otherwise you have the hotel restaurant and 15% off.
I would like to see the downtown requirement stricken except for those locations where ALPA says we must be downtown (SFO, BOS, ORD/MDW, NYC, etc) and those need to be cemented into the contract so they don't ever change.