Originally Posted by
hummingbear
Titles haven’t been the driving motivator for a long time, if ever. Money? I hate to say it, but yes, it most definitely is. Why have we never seen a WBCA vacancy? (And yet for the most part, everyone sitting WBCA would have a better QOL as WBFO- many to a substantial degree.) The problem w/ NBCA is not that $$ doesn’t motivate, it’s that the amount of money being offered isn’t sufficient to motivate for this position.
Think of it this way, if NBCA paid $1M/year, it would be our most senior fleet by a lot. (WB pilots in both seats would be bidding in.) If $1, no one would take the job. Somewhere in between, there’s a number that would get enough pilots to bid into NBCA that we wouldn’t need to beg every FO to consider it on their first year anniversary. The fact that we are doing that is evidence that the amount being offered is too low for the insular market of UAL pilots. This is very simple S/D economics.
you never see unfilled WBCA vacancies because there are far fewer of them, there is still the perception of something special of being a WBCA and by the time people can get it they are usually in a stage of life we’re kids are out of the house and they may not mind to be more out of the house too.
I don’t think that NBCA necessarily needs to pay more. You need more guaranteed time off. Flying 90 hours every month while being jerked around by crew support is not appealing.
Unfortunately, more time off is not going to happen. The current NBCA shortage prevents that as it is. And it was clear from the TUMI TA that it is all about pilot productivity. So I guess we play the “catch eligible new hires” for the foreseeable future.
let’s see what it takes for IAH to tap out? Maybe we get to 1000 guppy CA?