Originally Posted by
Whidbey
We continue to discuss moving days in the summer bid months and giving up ALV+15 in terms of jobs. For those of us on the property, using this language places the issue in a light that at first glance is more palatable to us...
However, when we say these things cost us 100-150 pilots, that's really another way of saying that the work of those 100-150 pilots has been distributed across the pilot group via these productivity increases.
Additionally, these efficiency gains realized by the company in C2012 remain with us, so I don't feel "blip" is an accurate word to use to describe their effects.
Yes, there was a steady increase in pilots required due to the shift of block hours from regional to mainline, which is a good thing... however, these efficiencies given up to assist in funding the raises weren't just a "blip" that would be quickly overcome by hiring, they are productivity increases (however big or small they turn out to be) that will continue to shape the quality of life of each Delta pilot going forward.
Not jumping on the bandwagon of bashing Sailing and Alpha, or even arguing the larger issue, just pointing out how I feel using this sort of language can shape perspective.
Actually, there really isn't flying that is being shifted to those remaining.
First, if you believe that the 125 guys flew 1,000 hours per year, shifting their time to the rest of the pilot group equates to about 45 minutes per month. But that is not what is happening.
In actuality, what was occurring was that pilots were there flying full schedules for 3 months and then sitting around for 9 months collecting reserve guarantee as excess. That is where the savings were.
As we have grown flying time, we went from a huge pilot surplus to a measurable pilot shortage. That is what is causing people to feel more flying over this summer. It has nothing to do with work rule changes, it has to do with the company getting behind on hiring (they should have started months earlier) and now the growth in mainline is outpacing their ability to catch up during the summer. This would have occurred with or without the 125 pilot job efficiencies.
If you recall, about 18 months ago, guys were posting their 12 month lookbacks for block hours and they were showing 150-200 hours for the YEAR. Certainly no one thought that would last forever. The growth at mainline just accelerated that day of reckoning.
The changes made to improve efficiency had very little to do with the amount of flying in peak periods. The efficiency was to level load out reserve requirements so you were not fat 9 months a year just to have enough guys to fly the summer. Right now, the company has been in damage control to try to correct their tardiness in hiring. It's a little like Lucy working at the chocolate factory. As soon as she catches up on one part of the line the other is backed up.
Just to put the work rule changes in perspective. The current AE has 390 job openings and comes about 6 weeks after the last AE. That means a loss of 125 jobs delayed an upgrade by about 3 weeks. That is the lasting effect. One way or another, the staffing excess would have been sorted out. It just comes at the same time as block hours are growing quickly and those two effects are what you are feeling this summer.