It’s not easy to drop to zero, it is possible to drop trips though, and dropping to zero is possible if you are senior and have desirable trips. I’ve flown with FO’s that do this and then pick up mostly premium. Part of the problem is that we have a new trip trading system. We also have a third party system for pilot to pilot trades and unfortunately, many people are only using that system to try to drop. Our new system requires many participants in order to work the way it was designed, but many people aren’t using it yet.

I am starting to hear of success stories with the new system, so it could improve. So, no it is not true that you can’t trade or drop at all. Please take what you read here through a filter, we are (were now I guess) in negotiations, and the interwebs are going to tilt negative always during negotiations, but the job itself is great. To me, living in CLT, it’d be a no brainer to get here ASAP. You’ll hold CA pretty quick and CLT is a huge bid status, which equals many opportunities and easier trading. Or stay as an FO, but movement is happening very quickly right now. Took me about 6 years to get to 45% FO on a NB. I upgraded at the first opportunity and it was 2 years as CA from 98% to 45%. Yeah, being JR is going to suck a little bit, but it will be short lived, and you’re 53, so you understand that and have some patience.

Not sure where you are with retirement savings but I imagine it’s worth the jump for the 401k DC alone, (not to mention LTD) but I’m not familiar with regional DC’s. Also, at CLT you have school house opportunity’s…both as an FO instructor, or CKP.

 

I'm the first one to complain about flexibility at AA. That said, I CAN trade......sometimes. I had pretty good luck in June but absolutely locked down in July. It needs improving, badly, but "no flexibility at all" is really not the case.

I came from a regional with very very good(The best at the time. I don't know what the current landscape is) schedule flexibility.........It's still better here. It just is.

 

It requires mutual agreement, it's the second word in the paragraph.

 

Read The compass docs. Specifically the sequence protection flow chart. I have run this through CC more than once. Mutual = pay protected. Non-mutual = pay goes away and credit stays blocking the footprint. It is a 15 code vs a NS code. NS is non-disciplinary in the case of RO decline.

The contract is a living document. You unfortunately cannot just read the raw language and take it as absolute. Hopefully this will be improved with the new TA.

 

More hard hitting data based statements from Puss. Are you sure it’s not “LiTeRaLlY a ToN” of people?

 

How was it ignored by APA? Not getting the language changed in the TA doesn’t indicate it was ignored.

you don’t think it’s possible they tried and this was all they could get?

everyone keeps talking about all this crazy leverage. I see it for pay. I think the market right now forces us to work.

 

Can someone give some insight about MIA schedule (international NB)?
What to expect?

 

We carry the highest reserve percentage in the industry. The company could create more lineholders but are terrified of not being able to cover flying. Reserves are used to cover open time instead of what they should really be used for: sick calls and IROPS. IMO it is the wrong approach. Over time pilots are going to call out less when the average line is say 75 hours instead of 83 with highs in the 90s. It's a stepping over a dollar to pick up 50 cents approach that they do not understand because they run the airline off of spreadsheets instead of operations experience. It's a difficult position to prove to a number cruncher.

The split duty "concession"(jury is out on this) is an attempt at the above.

 

Do you think that the high reserve percentages was ignored by APA? I’ve heard Ed on town halls talking about this so emphatically that it sounded like he was about to pop a vessel. I can’t assure you it wasn’t ignored. There are scheduling changes in the TA, many of which may be intended to fix this imbalance. Why not wait to hear from the horse’s mouth when the road shows begin?

 

"we asked but they said no" That is how APA tries.

AA was always going to give on pay. That was the given. What the negotiating committee negotiated in this current pilot shortage is underwhelming and embarrassing.