Ok, so essentially reserves can be used between 85-95 to 100 hrs at DAL. At AAL, once you get over 79.45, they cannot use you anymore on reserve (you'll be over 85 since it's 5.15 per day). This is NOT a bad thing. When it comes to PM and OG, you can do that in your off days and yes, it is added to your min guarantee. You can also pick up OG and PM and work it into your reserve days, which a standard tactic for people that can do it. My preference is to pick up late departure 2-day on premium the night before I go on long-call. Every so often, it works out. I haven't had any issues crediting 100-120 hrs per month, usually only work 65-85 hrs and still able to stay in the 14-18 days off range. So, we have things here that are wins on reserve right now. Is it perfect? No, but it never will be because the majority of people don't care about reserve. I'm always asked, "You bid reserve on purpose?!". "Yep!". Why would I not? I can't get what I want in PBS as a line-holder, you can't drop, TTS sucks and I'd have to work way more to get the same amount of credit anyway.

 

O, I see. I thought the split duty addition was going to cut down on longer trips? What about our "industry leading(no, Alaska)" pairing construction?

With split duty and pairing construction aren't we protected from longer trips? If yes how would the 10 hour rig create longer trips?

At some point all these provisions need to fight against each other. The optimizer isn't some warlock that is going to create something out of nothing. It's a computer. We need to add rules that benefit the group and force the optimizer to figure it out. Do we have industry leading pairing construction rules or not? Is split duty actually a gain for this group or is mgmt promising something they will never deliver? That thing being less 4 and 5 day non-productive trips with 30 hour overnights.

 

Great question for the road shows. This is what was relayed last night on the PHL/BOS/LGA town hall. None of us were at the table, so we are just speculating at this point. My understanding is that yes, split duty was a give that APA gave anticipating some pilots would like them and bid for them in order to get AA to lock in trip construction limits. Who knows how that discussion played out when it came time to talk about 10 hour FDP.

My point is, DAL doesn’t have the trip construction limits that we have proposed in our TA. That’s a fact. So the company (and optimizer) has a lot more leeway to get productivity when the 10 hour day goes into effect.

APAs position (again, per the townhall) was that the company said at the negotiating table “you want DAL/UAL language? Fine, then you need all of it.” It’s probably safe to assume that meant eliminating the trip construction limits they had already locked in. APA wasn’t willing to go there on some things…this being one, and reserve days off /85 hour cap being another.

For better or for worse, the road shows will provide context to why things were negotiated the way they were. Until then, we are mostly just guessing.

 

The BOD No votes:
DCA CH
MIA CH
LAX CH
CLT VC (DDR)
Both PHX

 

This isn't exactly accurate. It is true that reserves are able to go to the ALV+15, but only if they grab you while you're below the reserve guarantee. The reserve guarantee is the ALV minus 2. Once you reach your reserve guarantee, you are "Full" have have no further obligation to the company. For example, if you have 65 hours for the month, and the reserve guarantee is 74 (76 ALV minus 2). You fly a 2 day trip worth 10:30, and that brings you to 75:30 for the month. You are now over your guarantee, so you are done for the month. OTOH, if you flew a one day trip for 5:15, you'd now be 70:15, you could still be assigned a trip all the way up to the ALV+15 depending on the days of availability you have left.

Many pilots attempt to fill up at the beginning of the month so they fill up before they run out of days of availability. This is something reserves can preference for trip coverage.

 

Well this isn't great for the narrative.

 

Are we lacking reassignment time provisions?

Right now it’s 0159 or 4 hours after sequence whatever is later
what is it in 2.0?

 

The optimizer has no limitations right now on trip construction. Since the TA language has come out data shows that almost every NB bid status is already meeting the new proposed construction limits. We need to negotiate some wins. As is without the 10 hour rig the company is going to be able to build the same amount of 4-5 day trips they always have AND also build split duty. O by the way, the split duty trips are going to eat into the min % of 1-2 day trips from the sequence limits.

The company(rightfully so, it is their job) is negotiating for a neutral outcome on anything that would "benefit" pilots and selling it as a win to us. On the other hand they are getting massive productivity gives on things that benefit them( ECS, split duty, RA into day off, catch up flying, etc).

 

Ooooooooh.... this definitely changes things. I was a no vote regardless. I've paid $1,800 in union dues already this year to APA for something ALPA gave us. I'm a little ticked and so should everyone else be. We'd still be at 6 or 12% pay raises right now with a bunch of people ready to hit the "yes" button.

 

Ok so the point remains the same…would you advocate to forgo the existing TA proposed pairing limitations in exchange for 10 hour FDP, and then theoretically go to DAL trip construction limits (minimal and yet TBD on how they will change even further with 10 hour FDP)?

All I’m saying, is APA negotiators considered that and decided no to that question for the good of AA pilots. I’m not defending them or advocating either way. But generally speaking, I think I would be in favor of contractual trip construction limits instead of the 10 hour FDP. Enough of my trips just don’t go over that and it’s just not enough of a pain point for me to say, “yeah, give me that limitation with the possibility of a lot more longer trips.”