Originally Posted by
Flying Boxes
I think you just described how section 24 works! I your hypothetical scenario the senior pilot got what he bid in previous bid based on seniority. In subsequent bid, since he is not being bumped out of his seat/base he can only go to seats with vacancies.
if he is bumped (or stands in) then he can go whatever ever his seniority can hold.
No, here's the problem, if a pilot is bumped, under the new section 24 rules, that pilot can only go to seats with vacancies... The company gets to manipulate the vacancies/staffing level however they want.
So what if, theoretically, the only seats with vacancies were 757 FO? An MD11 CA could be forced to 757 FO under the current language, while pilots junior to that pilot would get to keep their 777 and 767 CA slots.
That's the problem with the new section 24 language. We gave up so much to the company just so a handful of dudes could feel like they are picking the month they train in, except they can only pick the month when the company feels like offering training to them, so it's purely the illusion of choice. It would be better to go back to when we had passover pay, bumping rights, and could trade training slots.