THREAD TOPIC #1
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Originally Posted by
KnightFlyer
New Max Open FCIF
That's good isn't it?
It begins, "Consistent with the Max Open Letter of agreement and Section 25.L.2.a., ..." Has anybody referenced those documents to determine whether that statement is true?
I looked at the LOA first, where it describes how every trip in Open Time has to have 2 pilots available to cover it. That is, 2 pilots with the appropriate Reserve Period availability. We can't see which guys are RA, RB, R24, etc. unless we're in that status ourselves, so there's no way for that number published in VIPS to be meaningful. Interestingly, the FCIF addresses that fact, and admits that the number in VIPS will continue to be meaningless.
Anyway, the number in the LOA is 2, not 3, and not 1. It's 2. If The Company can use an FCIF to change 2 to 1, why not publish an FCIF to change 1 to 3?
Keep reading.
The cited section of the CBA contains this language:
"Maximum open time is defined as two reserves available for every open trip, as described in the letter of agreement entitled Maximum Open Time; provided, however, that the Company may employ a less restrictive formulation of Max Open in lieu of the formulation described in the Max Open LOA."
It's not often that you see a "relief valve" that appears on its face to work in our favor. But there it is.
But wait ... there's language in the FCIF that is troublesome.
"The Max Open calculation now [after making the new programming changes] considers the RP for each activity in open time when assessing the availability of reserves. This gives a more accurate picture of reserve availability."
But wait, isn't that what the Max Open LOA says in the first place? If that's not how they've been doing it all along, and they're just now making programming changes to match what the LOA has required since 1999, how many hundreds of thousands of Drops and Swaps have been denied because they've been using some other formula?
Interestingly, The Association has commented that "ALPA is evaluating whether these changes are compliant with the CBA." That shouldn't take very long. "[T]he Company may employ a less restrictive formulation." What The Association
should be evaluating is how the previous formula violated the CBA and the Open Time LOA.
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THREAD TOPIC #2
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Originally Posted by
busdriver12
Just reading the latest FOM change, and saw this one:
"•New paragraphs added as the result of Regulatory changes:
FedEx Express crew members may not use a wireless communications device or laptop computer for personal use from arrival at the aircraft for departure until leaving the aircraft after arrival, unless it is in accordance with FAA-approved operational procedures.
This prohibition includes any personal use by crew members of these devices, including, but not limited to, talking, texting, bidding for schedules, reading or accessing the Internet.
In other words, all personal use is prohibited, whether or not the device is in "airplane mode"."
So even if you're delayed for hours, you are prohibited from calling, emailing or texting your wife/husband or taxi that was going to pick you up. You can't call and cancel a jumpseat, or rearrange a flight. Even if you're sitting there waiting for mx, doing nothing. I guess we'll be exiting the aircraft and going into ops to do that. Hope there aren't any delays. Of course, we are still instructed to use our personal cell phones to call GOC/MOCC in the event of a pilot deferred mx item.
This change is in keeping with a change to the CFR we discussed last February here:
Pilots' personal use of electronic devices. 14 CFR §121.542 is "Flight crewmember duties", and it isn't new, it's just changed.
Previously, under this section, paragraph (b), we were already restricted from "reading publications not related to the proper conduct of the flight" during a critical phase of flight. The new paragraph, (d), simply adds a new class of prohibited activity, that is using a "personal electronic device" capable of wireless communication (cell, WiFi, Bluetooth, anything) at a flight crewmember duty station "unless the purpose is directly related to operation of the aircraft, or for emergency, safety-related, or employment-related communications, in accordance with air carrier procedures approved by the Administrator." There's no relief for non-critical phases of flight.
So, FedEx has now caught up with the FARs.
And yes, it seems silly that I can work the newspaper Sudoku at cruise, but not the Sudoku app on my cell phone. That's just how the regulation reads.
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