Nov07 Bidpack
 

How's everyone's bidpack for Nov looking? This was supposed to be the big one with lots of changes. In LA, we seem to have a lot more day flight multi-day trips with new, better (anything's better than MEM) layovers - a lot less one day out and backs. Not sure yet if that's a good thing or bad thing. They've definitely optimized the schedules with many days of 7+ block hour flying.

From my cursory glance at Nov, there's at least one ANC line with an around the world trip what looks like this:

ANC - EWR 17 hour layover
EWR - CDG 18 hour layover
CDG - BOM 20 hour layover

First decent reset (41h) is in HKG. Ouch.

On the other hand, there is another trip that goes ANC-EWR-CDG-EWR-ANC with 27 hours in EWR each and 72 in CDG. Looks like a few more that could be sweet for the time off crowd too.

Haven't had time to calculate the suck ratio for the month yet. I call you back!

It appears the same in MEM. Many more Same duty Deadheads or GT's at the end of a Flight leg. Fewer lines with a Deadhead on the front. It seems City purity has all but vanished. International hasn't changed all that much.
More lines working to minimum days off and pay less than 72 hours.

I also noticed a few lines paying less than 68 hours . That is contractually illegal. I assume it is a mistake.

There was an FCIF or email or something about that, although I can't find it now. I think they are going to add pay after the bid closes.

Tuck,

The true effects of the changes probably won’t be known until well into the November bid month, but my initial take is that it is not an improvement. Hard-time Memphis hub turning is not my idea of a change for the better, even if they are day turns.

My guess is they are cooking the frog by slowly turning up the heat and those days will eventually turn to nights or at least get less palatable. What caught my attention were lots of 11 to 13 hour layovers during the pairings. If you tag on the 11.5 to 12.5 hour duty days with only a Breakfast Snack and that looks tiring, at best.

Many pairings show at 5-6AM…plus a 1-2 hour drive to the airport and the first day resembles more of an AM out and back day for the body. That was doable when the layover came at about 1030LBT after the first leg (on most pairings). Now you will turn in MEM and fly back to LAS, PHX, SEA or OAK and arrive around 1800LBT. That sounds brutal to me. I’m interested to read what the SIG e-mail has in it, but I’m guessing they don’t see this as an improvement either.

I didn’t see the normal Lax-Oak out and backs, but I did see ONT-MEM out and backs(really a night MEM hub turn) for the first time…yuk!

Again, this is only my first impression, but since November’s bid-packs contain false data on number of days off, pairing construction and BLG, it is hard to make an accurate judgment. Perhaps it won’t be as bad as it looks after all.


BTW, Occasional Memphis layovers are fine by me. I always catch up with old friends who like to go out downtown, which is where I wish our layover hotel was located.

Best Wishes!

Another reason IMHO we pilots screwed ourselves. We keep having these guys on international flights whine I can't get 2 sleep cycles in a 24 hour period so lets have 18 or less or a 36 hour layover.

Guess which one the company decided to go with first..........:mad:

Don't get too excited. It's a peak schedule. It's bound to change yet again maybe in January, more probably in February.

But LAX does look better to me.

You really believe that??:confused:

I'm quoting myself here. Do you understand why?

Just bid reserve, stay at home and don't worry about it. Oh that's right, all you guys commute.