Increasing the frequency of vacancy bids would improve pilot quality of life. Something to consider for future bargaining aspirations.

When a pilot retires, that training event would have to happen anyway, no? I just fail to see how a monthly vacancy bid doesn't just allow the company to be more flexible whilst also benefiting pilot quality of life.

And the fact that you can get an awarded bid for a new plane and then get withheld for another year is absolutely absurd. The company either wants flexibility, which is allowed through a monthly bid, or they are just absolutely terrible at planning training. Which, for some odd reason, seems to be an AA specific problem.

A monthly vacancy bid also would fix seniority getting bypassed with new hires, being that new hires are getting base offerings that 2-year pilots can't even get, but APA doesn't care about that either. But dem pay rates, right?

This has nothing to do with having a vacany bid every month. That retirement was going to happen whether we have monthly, quarterly, or yearly vacancy bids.

At least you’re paid the higher rate (if applicable) when withheld. My Delta and FedEx buddies say it’s more complicated at those places and you could go a long time before training yet not paid the higher rate. I’m sure the DeltaForce will pounce momentarily to DeltaSplain to us the finer points.

Doesn’t help of you’re going 737 FO-320 FO, of course.

I sent a Sound Off proposing 6 vacancy bids/year, prelim awards posted within 24 hours after bid close, final awards 7 days after bid close (allow people a minute to get their days off requests in, mil leaves, etc), and any seat lock begins on the withhold date if withheld. I’m sure it was filed in the circular bin like my other Sound Offs.

Unless there are a certain number of displacements involved, the Delta PWA requires "conversion" to your new category 150 days from the award. You're either trained and there, or you are pay protected.

You just couldn’t help yourself. Did you get itchy all over, a little hive rash, and decide, “I must set AA masses straight?!” Anyway, thanks for the PWA info.

Yes and there are a lot of them. We already almost can't keep up, adding more training to the mix will just make things worse.

I'd love to have bids every month but I'm also realistic in wants. I'm hopeful that after the large wave is done it will come back.

Most here don't realize the pay and work rules were so bad back then trading something like 12->4 bids a year seemed like a no-brainer.

A lot of what? Retirements? Again: retirements happen regardless of how many vacancy bids there are. The company can withhold you for a year for anything that requires training. After that training you are locked for 2 years.

Pilots just wanna switch bases maybe seasonally or get into the base they want instead of watching new hires get awarded their seat. People moving around in the same seat is meaningless.

Monthly bidding won’t create mass training backups unless it’s grossly mismanaged.

Exactly, whether there's 3,6,12 bids a year... it doesn't change the number of training events a year the training department has to do. Not with seat locks.

I'm aware. Still shouldn't take that long to update a seniority list.