Originally Posted by
Denny Crane
Frankly, it doesn't matter how other companies do it, it matters how it's set up at Delta. With that in mind..........
I question why a senior guy in one base would bid TDY to another base and now lose all that seniority and bid at the bottom of the TD base........It doesn't make sense. It only makes sense for a commuter or a guy who lives in the TD base but cannot hold it.
You are gonna have to explain to me how bidding a TD base, with the corresponding loss of seniority, pays any more than flying out of their permanent base and keeping their seniority. I just don't see how. Heck, maybe I will do it if I can get more pay........
Denny
Since you don't seem to actually be reading what I am saying, I'll try again. This is exactly what I said:
"My experience with TDYs is that senior pilots would bid it to get the per diem and hotels. The big change here though is that they'd have to give up all their seniority so I imagine it'd go more junior. TDYs generally go to commuters who don't live in a base period. "
I already gave you that it'd go more junior with the Delta rules, so you can argue that with yourself all you want.
As far as only people who would bid to that base if they could... which doesn't really make sense what you're upset about there the more I think about it. If they aren't senior enough to hold it they'd be at the bottom of the seniority list in that base anyway (where they'd definitely be under the TDY rules). Anyone else who wanted it would be able to bid for the TDY as well.
A reason for someone who doesn't live in a base to do a TDY is pretty clear. Paid hotels etc. Just paid hotels is money that costs the company. That is a cost that a based pilot doesn't have since they would be responsible for their own lodging. If a TDY pilot gets per diem it just goes up.
As far as why senior guys would do it, since I specified that it was the case in OTHER contracts, but you don't want to include them for discussions about TDYs overall it makes it difficult. You don't seem to be advocating against TDYs as currently written, you're against all TDYs regardless. If you would like to change your argument to TDYs as currently written per our contract aren't really great, we can have a different discussion. My point has simply been that they can be done in a beneficial way to the pilot group and are not cheaper than a based pilot.