Originally Posted by ZapBrannigan

If you think about the phrase as “scope of work” it makes more sense. What is the scope of work assigned to your work group. And what flying exists (or is permitted by your CBA to exist) OUTSIDE of that scope of work.

So if you start by saying, “All flying in the service of United Airlines must be performed by pilots on the United Airlines master seniority list “ - that is scope. But the sentence typically continues, “except for… “ and those exceptions are the rub.

In the mid 1990s most feed was provided by 19-37 seat turboprops feeding small cities into hubs. By the late 1990s regional jets with up to 50 seats allowed airlines to not only feed hubs, but also to bypass hubs and fly long, thin routes. Or to raid competitor hubs. ALPA inexplicably permitted that flying to occur at contract feeders doing business with just about every major airline.

Around 9/11 they expanded that ability to include 70 seat RJs.

The problem arose when after 9/11 thousands of pilots were furloughed at almost every major airline. Narrowbody airplanes like the DC9, MD80, 737-200, Fokker 100, Fokker 28 were parked and in their place an armada of RJs darkened the sky flown by B-scale labor… all permitted by the association as that flying was permitted outside of scope.

Many of us spent close to a decade on furlough from the majors who employed us due to this chain of events coupled with the increase of retirement age to 65 occurring during the furlough.