The company makes the pairings and SIG builds the lines. It is impossible to reduce the spread without putting garbage or nuisances trips on a line to make it uncommutable. Sometimes there aren't enough little trips to put on a line that has just 1 or 2 big trips on it to make a low spread even work. The 3.75 rig now in place exacerbates this problem. The 13 hr spread gives the SIG a chance to make lines with the new rig.

I don't believe the spread is the problem. On the 727 right now the spread is low because you can't build the high lines too high. Otherwise you will raise the average too high because the low lines have to be built to the BLG floor.


What you are asking for is a total renegotiation of scheduling rules (benefits)

Are you that unhappy with our scheduling system? It's not perfect but it's pretty good compared to elsewhere. It will be hard to change a couple of the specifics. The whole of the rules combined is what makes the membership relatively happy with them.

Also, reducing the BLG is what we negotiated as the mechanism to prevent furloughes. Now you want to change what the membership and the company agreed upon was the best way to alleviate overstaffing?

You may have some good ideas. Wish you were in the MEC. Have you sent your proposal forward to our rep?

I am that "unhappy" with it if the company wants to lower some BLGs just to save money. I have more faith in the optomizer than you do. I'll bet the company can get it whistling dixie while it was generating pairings to help lower blg across the board. Again this is the companies problem and they want our help to fix it. The idea is to fix it without $crewing some of our members. There is no excuse for guys flying BLG +25 with other receiving less than the CBA mandated 68 hours.

Again carryover keeps some pilots unemployed lets dump it.

Thanks for the kind words, I voted for Reagan in 1980 and that disqualifies me from union work. :)

With all due respect, you do not want the SIG to give the company the go ahead to TOTALLY revamp our schedules with the optimizer. There is a give and take between the SIG and company schedulers that has resulted in the lines we have today. The DDHs, weekend layover and much more. We don't ever hear about how much give and take.

You are unhappy with the difference between senior and junior lines. Can't say I blame you but you can't have the good lines without the not so good. So if you ever want to see very good lines when you are older, we have to endure the lesser lines while we are young and able to take the longer duty periods.

We do not want to ever have faith in the optimizer. We need to continue to monitor and restrict it's implementation.

All you do is de-optimize the optimizer and a few other "small" things. I dont think that the pilot group has much to worry about, nor the company for that matter. Geez, we arent losing money, bankrupt, etc. If the Company needs to save more, cut bonuses for crying out loud. As far as I am concerned, at this point in time, we are crazy if we give them anything other than what is in the CBA. After the LOA insult, I dont think they deserve anything "extra" from us!

I can't see the MEC opening up negotiations and getting get rid of carryover. This has been a long standing gravy train for many, many pilots. It's one of the reasons you see many senior FOs today.

senior fo's
 

....bingo!!!

Agreed. After the TA was announced and the roadshow meetings were taking place in Indy, MH was giving us a briefing and the question was asked about eliminating or reducing carryover. He said that the overwhelming response when the crew force was asked about it was that they wanted no limit on the number of hours someone could work. He didn't give specifics but did indicate that it was a majority of guys asked.

I personally don't see a problem with it, but I'm sure there are those that disagree. At this point it is cultural with regard to our scheduling model.

I am not unhappy with the difference between lines. I am very happy with the senior lines that let me sit at home (R-24 sucks). However, before we lower BLG, I think other changes need to happen. One of them being the ability to fly BLG +25 needs to go away I know the SIG works hard to make the lines work. But if there is any pain I hope we spread it out.

Carryover, while popular with our pilot force, does hinder our pilot numbers.

Makeup, on the other hand, does not. Makeup trips (other than CIC) are trips that the pilot group have dropped from their line or called in sick for. These trips will be flown by someone, either as extra trips on their line or by reserve pilots. The only makeup trips that hurt us being flown are DPs.