LOA talk at FDX
 

We believe that we are over-manned due to 4 factors: 1) The Economy and the resultant reduced volume and consolidation. 2) Federal Age change legislation and the reduced number of retirements. 3) An aggressive transition from 3 to 2-person aircraft. 4) Significant productivity enhancements brought on by the optimizer.

Hey what about 5) DW

Take a shack lead! They NEVER mention DWs "right thing to do" as a cause. DW created a "top down" manning problem all by himself but seems reluctant to take credit for it. Probably pops champagne with his over 60 bros in private so as not to upset the unwashed? Wonder how many of the retirement eligible DC-10 S/Os would be hangin' it up vice serving coffee on the slave ship. Of course it would still be their choice and they could still have a job if they wanted it but.......Foxhunter preflighting a 727 with a deferred APU in MEM in August.........even he ain't crazy..................well?

I would add siginificant productivity enhancements given up in contract 2006. Although it is very closely related to your number 4.

One point...if margins on domestic service are less than 7%, how much do we want to "take back" from the optimizer? I'm not disputing that FDX is still a profitable enterprise, but trying to extract gains from our lowest margin area is going to be tough. Raise the cost there too much and we'll see more pressure to truck the goods. Granted, FDX Ground has its own issues, but even with Diesel at 4.80 the trucks are not our friends.

International? Yeah...we can squeeze there. There's room. But domestic yields don't invite a huge "unwinding" of the optimizer. Not saying we can't do some stuff to allieviate some issues, but protecting the goose is still important.

Albie.....FedEx pays good money for people to come up with ideas like that....and that someone is neither you nor me....we get bannanas to fly the aircraft. FedEx likes ex-mil guys because like a hooker from the third world, (even though you are in the Big BX), it is hard to forget sometimes where you came from.

Your five o'clock shadow is showing....pick up the razor.

From a former Officer, now FedEx "Enlisted guy"

:D

I'm speechless.

Normally you're pretty astute, but you're either flying some good trips, or you don't realize over the last few years how much the optimizer has hammered out of all our collective hides. Think about it: if you squeeze another leg out of 4,700 pilots several days a week, it has a lot more effect than the ND's, the 100 or so retirements we eat this year, or blaming it on DW. Layovers are shorter and total legs have increased. This is a fact.

IF we're overmanned...that's reason #1 why.

Good observation.

Not arguing, and when they develop the star track transporter we are all screwed. But when we make things more efficient for the company that makes furloughs (or blg reductions) more likely in hard times and we hire less dudes in good times. If they want efficiencies make them pay instead of giving them up for free as we did in the last contract.

Albie, you seem to think more like management than a line pilot. Just an observation.

When FX was making more $$ we didnt share in the spoils as much as I think we should have. Now that they are making less of a profit, I dont expect to pay for it. Let the bonuses and compensation of the higher ups take a hit...for once.

I feel that our Reps need to think more about our well being than the Companies. Until, that is, when things get really tight on the profit margins. Some of the "pro" company things you say might be best left unsaid! FX is doing fine at the moment. And with the LOA, they are doing better than they have a right to with respect to FDA's.

Your job should be to fly the plane the best you can and represent your block the same. Let the Company worry about their minor problems.

Star track? Is that the show with Colonel Kirk and Dr. Spock?