Originally Posted by
Timbo
Oh absolutely it would be today. I've already heard the b!tching from the senior 777 F/O's and LCA's about the "pay cut" they took with the new FAR 117. They can -only- fly 100 hours in 28 days now! Damned ALPA!
We are now averaging 92?
Compared to 75?
Yeah, there would be much crying if we went back to 75! Of course if we could at the same time get our pay rates back to 2004 adjusted for inflation, that would soften the blow!
BUT...think of the upward progression that would be required if every wide body Captain was only flying 75 instead of 93!
That's how you get "More Money, More Time Off", by flying LESS, not more.
I happen to have a calculator right next to me, here's the quick math on that: For every 100 wide body pilots flying 93 hours every month, it would require 24 more pilots (124 total) to fly the same time at 75 hours every month.
You could say we are now 24% MORE PRODUCTIVE then we were under the old 75hr. cap rules.
Wonder why you've been stagnated for 10 years?
All that extra flying every month thanks to PBS, and age 65 together, that's why.
Couldn't agree more Timbo.
I've gotten to point in my life where I look at time moreso than money. Ultimately our income is a function of pay rates and time away. I think the company save a lot of money by having us pick up extra time every month while keeping staffing tight. The transpose to that is hiring extra pilots, which is much costlier than just paying out more credit every month. We staff for the summer flying, but hire for the year.
Everyone is different and has their own opinion on the subject, but I look a 70-75 hours mark when deciding on contracts. Anything above that is a bonus, but ultimately hourly rates will dictate the appeal. Everything else that helps the company manage open time is a concession the way I see it. (essentially incentivizes us to work more, so the company can staff less)
I'll pre-defend my point here before being labeled a hypocrite....I'm in favor of anything picked up above the GS trigger to pay our premium because it more costly to the company and more beneficial to the pilot group. The company will staff accordingly to offset a decrease in their need to pay out premium pay to pilots.