How's that possible? We have guys on the other forum saying their trip trade was denied because it put them at 90:18, when the month max was 90:00.

Are you bidding SC reserve all 12 months and then working on vacation and days off?

 

There are ways around the max. You can either pick up pilot to pilot above max or open time. One or the other.


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This is nonsense. Alaska has had industry leading margins for the last 7 years, so where's your industry leading contract?

The truth of the matter is that operational margins don't produce contracts, strong negotiations do. Say the Alaska pilots do what you suggest, what they've done since Mac McGee, and deliver a "quality product" without much fuss. What will happen? An industry leading contract? No. You'll get a pat on the head and whatever scraps will get you 50%+1.

So for you to preach from the same playbook that has failed this group time and time again is absolute idiocy.

 

I agree, but a strong balance sheet makes an improved contract an easier pill to swallow for management.

 

Delta reserves get days off, number of days off varies by the average line value for that month as well as percentage of category on reserve (more reserves net you an extra day off). Some categories had 15 days off for reserves for April. SEA 737 was at 13 (the minimum for a 30 or 31 day month). Reserve still didn't reach the plug in the category. Delta also allows you to put as many days of reserve together as you want, so those 13-15 days off can be in one block. The company will assign extra time off as needed to maintain legality (usually a day and a half off every 3-4 days to keep you legal for 4 day trips). All reserves are long call, you can only be escalated to short call 6 times in a month. Short call call-out is "proximate to the airport." That is generally understood to be within around 2 hrs in ok traffic, rush hour it's whenever you can, there is no hard limit. If you are escalated to short call and not used you get an extra hour of credit added.

I have 17 days off next month (counting 2 5am releases and an 11pm show as work days) at around 77 hours credit. Commutability varies by base and base makeup (bases with more commuters tend to get more commutable trips). Next month I have what I think will be my first trip at the company that isn't commutable on the back end if I don't swap it (there is one in open time I can swap with). I'm around 85% seniority in Seattle. The plug in Seattle has a 16 day off line at 75 hrs credit for April, 10 from the bottom has 18 days off at 75 hrs credit on a front loaded schedule (off from the 17th on, the 1st of May is part of the April bid month).

It seems that the very top of the seniority list at Alaska holds a somewhat similar schedules to what we get at Delta, the big difference is with everyone else. Don't let Kotzebue discourage you from getting something better. He appears to have decided that getting any improvements will result in a pay loss for him and is focused on that.

 

“As a result of unusual winter weather in the Pacific Northwest in the month of February, our operation experienced significant challenges," said Alaska Air in a statement.

Mainline operations saw a 4.1% decline in traffic for February on a 3.7% decrease in capacity compared with the same month in 2018. Load factor decreased 0.3 points to 79.4%.

Regional traffic increased 20.6% on a 17.2% increase in capacity. Load factor increased 2.2 points to 78.7%.”

While we’re at it, Let’s park some buses..

 

So I could start with 13 days off in a row, followed by 17 reserve days in a row, and end up with 15-16 off because they'd be forced to give me 30hrs of rest in the middle of the 17 day block that I made? What's the catch?

 

What you said right here was my only point OTZ. My only reference to the past was NOT a critique of past contracts....(old news, lots of reasons, relevant only in the sense of not repeating mis-steps).... but to say that WE, the pilot group, is ALREADY proving on a daily basis and has been doing so consistently for a LONG time, that we deserve a better contract.

 

Also agree with this 100%.

 

OTZ..... fake news? Or just irrelevant because A. You’ve only lived in negotiation dynamic that leads with “what are we gonna have to give up?” B. You don’t give rats a$$ about the bottom 20%

Btw... you’re right.... they don’t want commuters. Unfortunately for them (and possibly YOU), they bought about 800 of em with the VX purchase, and, also hired a decent amount of commuters last year, and prob will continue to as the supply of “qualified” pilots dwindles. You are fast becoming the minority my friend. That’s a fact.