Originally Posted by
dsevo
I don't care about getting more money. Two-pilot min crew on the actual aircraft is my hill to die on. I’m willing to lose money/time with a delay for that. If the rumors are true and the UAL deal has 7.5h sick for junior guys and 10h for senior, that will be another hill to die on for me. The rest is nice to have, but I could get to a yes.
Delta apparently loosened up scope to get that and "medical freedom".
You willing to give up scope?
I read the Delta language. A lawyer would drive a truck through it. Autonomous aircraft won't have pilots, they will have a "flight manager" or some such.
No one has been more vocal than me on this subject (just search past threads I've started). Mandating it in contracts is not going to solve it.
For starters, removing one pilot from a 767 sized jet has the same economic equivalence of reducing fuel burn by 25%. If AA does not do that, a competitor will, and it won't matter that we have two pilots because no one will be buying tickets on us (too expensive compared to competition).
Second, this is not an issue until 2035-2040 time frame. Let's tackle it when retirements subside and we have more leeway in regards to other QOL issues as well. The company is physically unable to hire replacement pilots at the feeders, there is little chance they are going to agree today on matters that increase pilots required on property (or put a high price on QOL issues).
Thirdly, anyone in the 35 and under age bracket needs to take their signing bonuses and RJ paychecks and forgo the $1m home and $80k truck and invest the money today. There is little the union can do to stop single/no-pilot from happening.