Thank you. I only bid HKG on this latest excess fiasco.

 

The company has run its own analysis and decided its cheaper to keep folks on that pay an ealry retirement. I think its safe to say everyone would LOVE to see a win/win situation where folks would leave early.

Historical analysis shows that while everyone has a "number" on what it would take to get them to leave early, about 250k "extra" is the magic button. I think the company has decided its not worth it and cheaper to keep folks around. Bottom line is I think most of us would like to see some over-60 types walk out gracefully, but the cost to the company to keep them around is less. Everyone makes the assumption folks will use a lot of sick leave, etc but until its proven these folks aren't productive to train I would not expect any changes.

There are some solid places to get info--the R&I chair is really sharp and knows a lot of about these kinds of issues--you can contact him via ALPA or in VIPs and I'm sure he'd share his insights. As you mentioned, he and JA have been on this for a while--but the COMPANY is the one not interested--not us...

"Lunch with Albie" is on at the Indian Palace at 1130 on Wednesday. I'll be glad to talk about this and other issues then if anyone is interested. You dont' have to be there to get answers, however--call your reps.

 

Unfortunately, I easily get wrapped up sometimes! Especially after this LOA deal.

And, it is only a practice bid. Will have to wait till the final to go postal. Just kidding!

In reference to my earlier post on how they can add pilots to HKG without a posting for them...Section 24E4a states...

"The Company may cancel an award/assignment of a crew position in reverse seniority order provided it does so at least 30 days prior to the pilot's scheduled training date. A pilot whose award/assignment is canceled may either remain in his current crew position, or exercise his seniority for an award or a vacancy posting that occurred between the date his crew position was awarded and the date it was canceled."

So, I suppose that those who were awarded 57CF who had 30CH as their second choice when the bid was awarded may exercise their option to go to HKG. That is, if they want to exercise that option. I wouldnt think that they have to.

If any of those folks were Airbus F/O's prior to the bid, the Company could send them to HKG as F/O's and pay them passover until they are activated in the left seat. That would help the Company man the right seat in HKG.

 

I think sending them to HKG as an F/O would be really stretching the rules unless you mean via STD er I mean STV.

If you bid 30CH they cant send you there until you have checked out as a Capt.

 

I thought we did that long ago

 

I hope I explain this correctly. You are correct as far as primary and secondary fills are concerned. However an excess is a whole new ballgame. Again, if excessed, you can go to any seat/aircraft that someone junior to you is currently flying. The one caveat being, you cannot go to an FDA(HKG) if that results in an excess.

The rational human being would assume that an excess would be created in HKG once there are more than the 49 previous primary postings filled. Unfortunately, you are assuming 49 to be the magical number. In all likelihood, it will be 49, or a figure very close to that. But I'm guessing, the company can pick any number they wish.

They don't want to play their cards now perhaps to dissuade those folks who can hold HKG captain(based on the junior captain previously awarded HKG). If they bid it and don't get it, there might be some passover pay ramifications. I'm not even going to try and get into that! So, show everbody bidding it, they will be awarded it. Most don't want to go, but would love to stay as a relatively senior F/O and get passover pay. Instead, it behooves the company not to divulge that magical number to preclude the masses from bidding it(again, since they might think they will have to go).

When the bid actually closes, we will know what that figure is. For those junior folks who are just barely senior to the junior captain in HKG..."do you feel lucky?"

 

It would be a stretch. Maybe they could check them out in the left seat and fly them in the right. To lazy to look it up at the moment! Also, for the SFS F/O's who got a 57CF award, maybe they could excess to 30FH before they took the upgrade. Hey, who knows! The Company will be looking hard to fill the right seat.

 

SOs should be considering HKG....LOA will be enhanced...better place to be stuck for the next 5 years..paywise anyway!...thoughts????

 

Sure if you don't mind living in a opium den, riding a bus 4 hours to start work, don't really care what your schedule will look like, don't mind fred deciding what your taxes look like, and have complete faith in the chicomm system of justce.

 

I thought that I would throw out another possible wrinkle in this bidding of HKG for the passover pay issue.

What if some daring mid-level seniority guys gamble and bid HKG CA for passover, and the company awards it to them, then turns around and cancels the previous bid award of junior guys previously awarded HKG CA in reverse seniority order to get a more senior CA group in the FDA? They have set a precedence of canceling bid awards aready, and it seems to have stood the test.