Flaps1check

OTZ, I have serious question for you. Do you realize or care that other pilots have different desires then yours in life and for schedules. Some may see 14-15 days off as a win, others may not. $435,000 is important to you, but not to others. I for one like 3, 4 day trips, 18-19 days off, 75 hours and weekends/holidays off. I bid in the top 10% in the right seat. Those above requests are a guarantee for me month in and month out under PBS. Under our current bidding system that has not happened once. My commodity is not money, but time with my family. Soccer games, birthdays and holidays. Something money can’t replace. I know some of my fellow Airbus pilots come off as whiners, but how about a little empathy and understanding that our worlds have been turned upside down. There are far more pilots at Alaska who are tired of how things are than who are content, they are ready for change. If management is as tough and cheap as you say, then it’s going to be a long road of section 6 negotiations. Demanding from us resolve that we deserve better and demanding better. The company wants a 50% +1 contract, equally all we need is a 50%+1 strike authorization to affect what they care about most, money.

OTZeagle1

F1, I get it. Merging sucks. Your contract was for commuters. WE HAVE THE SAME DUTY RIGS AS DELTA. 1 for 2, 1 for 1.75, and 1 for 3.5. Does everyone at L-VX realize this. “The worst duty rigs the in the industry, worse then every regional,” as you all refer to it. There is a reason our and Delta’s number of days off and credit are so similar. So get over on their board, announce yourselves as L-VX, and tell them what a bunch of pussies they are. I am sorry your schedules going forward will continue with about 15 days off and 80 hours of credit. Your old schedules are gone, they are not coming back until you are very senior on the Boeing. There are all kinds of angles to work but you need to learn to play by the new rules. Honestly, you need to live in base. Airbus schedules will only get worse, I don’t like that but those are the facts moving forward. Aircraft utilization and optimization will be done by late fall, leaving Airbus schedules even more tepid. My sincere best

av8or

OTZ shuckin it right on down to the cob for ya. 😂 From the guy with one of his houses for sale for 1.4 mill. That’s rock solid advice right there. 👍🏼

OTZeagle1

I get it. You don’t have to live in Seattle. Move 45 minutes south of SeaTac, you will find nice stuff 490-750. Doable for an FO... for the Captains in that same area they can find really nice places 750- 1.2. I am just giving you all honest good advice, this is a solvable problem.

Flaps1check

Thanks for the candid advice, but instead what I am going to do is talk to my base reps. Continue to talk to the negotiating and scheduling committee when I run into them. Make my voice known, be active in the union. The majority is swinging from in base PNW’s to commuters. I am ready to make Alaska an airline with a industry leading contract. The more Boeing guys I talk to the more I realize OTZ you are in the minority. I am happy your happy, a better contract can only benefit us all. Alaskas management’s job is to run a profitable airline the cheapest way possible. The union’s(us) job is to get us the best contract possible. Hopefully you’ll help in that matter, but if not then thats your choice. I’m focused on the next fight and its going to get dirty.

ShyGuy

Not every VX pilot can just up and move across the country to SEA, PDX, SF or LA. I am fortunate enough to be in a position in which I can move. Many guys can’t for many different reasons. I sympathisize with these VX folks.

However if you are an outsider looking in to work here, then OTZ is accurate when he says you better live in base or move to base if you’re hired here.

OTZeagle1

Alaska is right now about 36% commuters. Management knows the numbers. They know where the votes are. SEA, ANC, PDX have very few commuters. LAX on our side has about 100 commuters even on your side I think about 180 or so drive to work. There is no changing tide my friend. That is a lie someone sold you.

Flaps1check

No changing the tide of pilots who are tired of a subpar contract, work rules, scope, and bidding system? Change those items and it doesn’t matter where you live. And there is no our and your sides, unless your talking about management vs pilots. I won’t argue the numbers of commuters with you because I don’t have those stats. But I guess if you have those numbers from management then I know where you loyalty lies and this is a pointless conversation. God bless, enjoy your piles of money, and boat.

Baradium

I have 3 4 day trips this month crediting 76 hours and I'm junior. My point that 5 day trips can be nice doesn't mean that we have a ton of them. we just have some but only a few total anyway. Take a look at our schedules this month if you have so much access to them (obviously not if you think our lines are all 5 day trips). I've seen the schedules of those who are my seniority at AS, not even close. Of course that's because they are holding 12 days off of crappy reserve rules.

You said before you had a lot of money not from airline work, so don't try to play games pretending it is. I don't really care how loaded you are. You made a statement that the overall schedules aren't any different, and that is not correct and I am calling you on it. Just because your schedule may be close to the same (as much as I hear about massive disparity from senior to junior there I could believe it), doesn't mean that all the schedules are.

I never said you are working for a regional. I just said you all deserve better. I don't know why you hate the idea of trying to get contract parity so much. I never even said your life itself was bad.

Baradium

Didn't you sell out the A-plan so the junior guys you are bragging about it for aren't getting it? Your last two sentences are quite ironic.

You have a 5:15 average daily min too? Didn't know that.

Seriously, my whole point is that there is room for improvement. Why not work towards it? I am well aware you are enjoying being the big rich fish...but I don't think getting our rules would hurt you at all. I have friends at Alaska and I really hope you can make improvements. It helps everyone but it also recognizes the hard work you do.