Flight deck Safety Fee
From another forum...insert your own CBA numbers and compare to your company's block hours and load factors. I think we should get behind this simple solution.
Your Thoughts
There has been a lot of talk lately on compensation. Capt Prater suggested a very simple fix to both compensation, safety and experience. Its called "2$/HR". I thought long and hard about the concept and can find no down side. Airlines, FAA, and the Federal Government charge fees for just about everything. If the FAA or the Fed were to institute the "Flight Deck Safety Fee" (my words not any of theirs) every passenger on every airline would pay 2$/hr on their flights that would go directly toward pilots compensation. I know I know...I hear all of the negatives that come with that, but consider this.
1. No airline would be at a cost disadvantage as all 121 carriers would have the same fee imposed.
2. the paying public would not in all likely hood ever even know about the fee. How many know how much goes to the ticket price from this list from CAL?
Taxes and Fees
Travel within the United States and between the United States and certain Canada and Mexico locations
Quoted fare includes all base fare and surcharges and 7.5% U.S. excise tax. Quoted fare does not include the following taxes, fees and charges that may apply to your travel itinerary:
* Passenger facility charges (PFCs) of up to $18 per round trip
* September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 per round trip; one-way travel may incur fees in excess of $5
* U.S. segment fees of $3.60 per flight segment (a flight segment consists of one takeoff and one landing)
* For travel to/from Hawaii and Alaska, a U.S. excise tax of $8.00 per departure
* Each arrival in the U.S. from Canada/Mexico is subject to U.S. inspection fees of up to $12
* Non-U.S. government ticket taxes, fees and airport charges may add up to $45 per ticket for travel to/from Canada and Mexico
* A $50 fee will be charged for paper tickets issued by Continental. Your ticket will cost $20 more per person if booked by telephone or at a ticket office. These costs may vary by country. To avoid paying this additional expense, book and ticket your reservation on continental.com.
3. This could increase the bottom line for the company through gained interest ($150,000/mo)
I see it as a win-win for for all involved. Better qualified pilots in the future, Safer operation, improved reliability and increased profit margins. Passengers pay bag fees with little or no *****in so why would it be so much more difficult to pay $4 for a two hour long trip.
Here is how I see this working
The fees are collected and held to the end of the month. The block hrs are then multiplied by the load factors to give a fair per block hour payout.
for example August we flew 58,644 block hours with a load factor of 79.8%. 50 seats X 79.8%= 39.9 passengers per hour. $39.90/hr(per pilot) x 58,644 block hours =$4,679,791. XJT keeps these fees until the end of the month in an interest bearing account. At 2.5% interest they would make $116994.77/mo to handle the account. Each pilot would receive $39.90/hr for each block hour they flew. For each pairing you fly 20 hours you would receive your normal CBA negotiated pay + $39.90
quick summary for a 20 hour pairing
1yr CA 59.63 $1192.6 + $798= $1990.6
2yr CA 61.41 $1228.2 + $798= $2026.2
3yr CA 63.28 $1265.6 + $798= $2063.6
5yr CA 67.12 $1342.4 + $798= $2140.2
7yr CA 70.51 $1410.2 + $798= $2208.2
10yr CA 77.04 $1540.8 + $798= $2338.8
15yr CA 88.45 $1769.0 + $798= $2567.0
1yr FO 22.38 $447.6 + $798= $1245
2yr FO 33.32 $666.4 + $798= $1464.4
3yr FO 35.39 $707.8 + $798= $1505.8
4yr FO 37.74 $754.8 + $798= $1552.8
5yr FO 38.87 $777.4 + $798= $1575.4
6yr FO 40.04 $800.8 + $798= $1598.8
7yr FO 41.24 $824.8 + $798= $1622.8
8yr FO 42.48 $849.6 + $798= $1647.6
Just from this fee it would eliminate commuting issues...ie you can afford the hotel room, needing to fly 90+ hrs to survive on ramen noodles and PB&Js, minimize impact when new duty rules go into effect lowering the amount of productivity, and increase safety with better rested crews. The first FO sitting RSV and flying only 45 hrs would make an annual salary of $41,688. the most junior CA sitting RSV flying the same 45 hrs would make $81,954 yearly. No more sleeping in the crew room or worrying about pay vs flying. This is all at no cost to the company!
FOR JUST $2/hr all of this happens everywhere within the industry
This should be ALPAs mantra and a sticker on every flight kit. the FAA and Congress could make this happen over night!