Laughing_Jakal

Random thoughts:

I am beginning to believe that Boy Captain is "O"'s Nom de Guerre.....

Now this may be wishful thinking, but any chance the reason behind slim pickings in open time is specifically to use more reserves and justify the existence of as many pilots as possible to limit the scope of possible "F" and/or bid line reduction? As many of you attest, this situation has arisen from a variety of factors including some miscalculation on the part of those paid to calculate accurately. I believe there is some motivation in limiting the extent of "miscalculation" outside the level of FLT OPS. Can you imagine the reaction from the highest levels if the overmanning was substantiated at almost 17 percent?

If I was "in charge", I would see any opportunity to "limit the scope of overmanning" as a good thing as long as it did not cost any extra or invite special attention from levels above my pay-grade. In addition to limiting the visibility of any personal culpability for the problem, it can't be fun for anyone, especially the VP of Flt OPS to disrupt lives and put people on the street. It may be an unavoidable business decision...but I bet it is no fun.

Seems like the open time scooper-uppers are now being fed a restricted diet (perhaps with the tacit permission of the MEC??). You all have said, that this group does not have individual willpower in this matter. Someone has used the stapler and done stomach resection surgery on open time *****s.

Perhaps grieving this particular development is not in our best interest right now...DW has long advocated a cap and bank system, maybe he is using a passive-aggressive technique to achieve that end. While not much can be done about CIA, this does limit the feeding frenzy or those who can't help themselves from picking up that juicy General Makeup. Maybe this has his "unofficial" seal of approval.

For those that complain about the Memphis guys and their ability to pick up a STBY at the drop of a hat.....believe me, as a current resident, there has to be some redeeming quality!!! But it looks like that has come to an end.

This could also revive good ole fashioned trip trading at this company. Since the death of the green screen, I haven't seen a whole lot of active trip trading other than the pathetic "PDO bump solitation". Perhaps Pilotwifeswap.......er Pilotswap.net will actually begin to function well as a trip trade vehicle. I am checking there next.

I am surprised by the angst and message traffic on this board. Management must be having a field day. With every passing post, there is another pat on the back...."Oh...look....this pilot has his family literally crying with fear....Lets send him the Extra-Maroon Red Letter.......by the way, have we paid Experian for the bulk (4700) credit reports yet?....we need to work on those with credit ratings below 700."

This isn't personal....this is business....and sure beats the hell out of the Depression. Our Grandfathers would be ashamed at us "freaking out" at this kind of adversity. Wind the clock........I would argue that it is not the MEC that has to grow a pair....it is each and every one of us. (Before anyone asks, I expect to sustain a 50% cut eventually when the smoke clears due to excess and reduced BLG). While I don't like it, this is no surprise.

While the MEC might have ****ed up just about everything in the last year and a half (Barring some military leave issues)....the one thing they have seemed to be on top of was manning issues. They have been talking about this for quite some time. Their comm and position is spot-on I believe. Time to trust them and let them do their job.....I am sure they will accept volunteer help at this point.

So let's not quake in fear and vomit all over ourselves.....either way we have to wake-up and look ourselves in the mirror. I'd prefer to do it without the regretful memory of a shameful night and a shirt stained with regurgitated excess. (pun semi-intended)

It could be worse, we could be just junior to JetJock on the lucky list. He was Dead......going without part of a paycheck beats a dirtnap.

To be honest, my biggest fears are having either to show up to work at the same time every day at a real job and supplementing my income with funds from my brokerage account. Every day will be the most expensive sell order in history.

I must be on to something with my theory about open time as the black helicopters hovering above my house just went to "whisper mode" and the fast-ropes just dropped. My dogs are barking, someone just breached the door.......a fat man wearing a balaklava exposing only his mustache has appeared in my doorwa

kronan

No way in hell is Boycaptain "O" in disguise, grammer is way too good.

Other than no STBYs, I'm not really seeing anything different when I check open time to try and improve/change the schedule.
Discouraging to get the No Trips Found message, but, that's exactly what it's been like for quite awhile (barring the Christmas trips).

I can understand the company deciding to eliminate the Mempho Arpt Stbys because they aren't used that much. What I don't like is the sense I get that now the company is going to occasionally create Arpt Stbys only for reserve guys. Last minute X-pairings of unforeseen events are totally different than GOC deciding the day prior that having an Arpt Stby crew available would be a good thing. All planned trips should be available to the entire crewforce to request.

Plus, I really don't like the mindset of eliminating the Stbys. Can't even begin to remember who gave the AOC tour when I was a newhire, but, did like the fact that he pointed out that getting the freight there on time was so important to us that "we" were willing to pay folks to sit around at the airport to get the freight launched quicker.
Now, seems as if we can't tell our customers that anylonger. Yes, we want to get it there on time, but, if something goes wrong we are willing to accept launching your freight 2.5 hours late. (1.5 call out, for a launch an hour later) Tha extra 90 minutes could make all the difference between getting it there on time and being late.

Also, eliminating the Stbys removed ballpark 350hrs of "flying" from the airbus. Or, exacerbating the overmanning to the tune of 5 FOs and 5 Capts.

I can't quite figure out how GOC is going to decide which day to add an Arpt stby. I admit to having done the occasional sleeping for dollars Stby over the years. Almost every time I was sure I would be launched, I wasn't. And the times the weather was great and I was sure I wouldn't be launched, I was.

HoursHore

I think the Standard ASBY are still there, just under the complete control of scheduling. They will be ginned up every morning and evening and assigned to Reserves inside the window of where they have to go into open time. No reason to pay some guy to sit for 4.5 hours when a reserve will do it for free.

BOYCAPTAIN

jakal played in the band in high school!....anyway happy new year kronan!....my back still hurts from your landing (lol)...i still would like some communication from the union on all these issues...besides JGs letter i have seen nothing...no explanation of missing standbys, verification of staffing levels etc....***?

kronan

Yeah, well the "weather" in LBB sure beat the follow on weather to TUS. And, if you'd been doing the proper job of mentoring your FO and monitoring the PF, landing wouldn't have been hard.....I just took a little micro-nap after falling asleep listening to you babble on and on and on (totally disregarding the Sterile Cockpit comments I kept making)
but, I digress.

Seems like a life time since all of these issues exploded, but, it's only been 4 days. The Arpt stby thing only popped up late Thursday night/early Friday morning. Would have been nice if the company had communicated that decision at all versus spreading by rumor from an individuals phone call to CRS ("O" where were you, thought it was your job to act as the bridge between the company and the pilots)

So, give the guys some time. This is no time to be shooting from the hip.

Although it was great to see the proposed LOA the union has been working on for the past year. Too bad the company hasn't been interested in a joint solution to the economic problems we are facing.

BOYCAPTAIN

4 days....but the union knew this was coming!....the communication from the union has always been bad...jmo..now where is that heating pad?

kronan

Yeah, well there are several communications about it on the ALPA website.

So, think the comm is better, still not great. But then, also don't want the union showing the membership all the cards either. Just too many stooges on the property willing to let the company know the minimum we'll accept.

Aim high, might not hit the target but at least you won't shoot your foot.


ps--if you'd quit solving all your emotional problems with booze and food, you could probably drop a few pounds and eliminate those back problems you have. Try hitting the gym for some stress relief.
How'd you manage to post your photo on the tail?

MoonF18

Jackal ol' boy,
I gotta agree with you on this one. We need to quit crying into our steel pots and man up. I am %$&*%$#@ serious. Call me and you will have the wrong number, I am not me anymore.

fdx727pilot

The way I understand it, they are not eliminating Arpt Stbys. They are just eliminating the standard scheduled standbys we are so used to. You know, the ones that hardly ever launch. I know it sucks for guys to be able to pick up stbys for extra cash, 2 or 3 weeks down the road (which was great for us guys on reserve, BTW.) However, since many of them never launched, the company sees them as a waste of money. Now, scheduling and GOC look at loads and weather and set up standbys for the next day. One appeared as an Extra Pairing for the B727 very early this morning for an afternoon show (16 hrs or so till show.) It was gone within an hour.

While it does inconvenience a few of us, and eliminates a source of additional income for many, scheduling of standbys (number and timing) is not really addressed in the CBA. I can't fault the company in not wanting to pay out cash to pilots grabbing up the standbys as Makeup, while many reserve pilots sit around unused. As it is, guys making big bucks flying extra hours at straight pay (I.E. Makeup) is one of the big complaints I see on this board. Sounds like we are arguing both sides of this deal.

Lindy

I agree with Kronan:

Can't even begin to remember who gave the AOC tour when I was a newhire, but, did like the fact that he pointed out that getting the freight there on time was so important to us that "we" were willing to pay folks to sit around at the airport to get the freight launched quicker.
Now, seems as if we can't tell our customers that anylonger. Yes, we want to get it there on time, but, if something goes wrong [are we] willing to accept launching your freight 2.5 hours late. (1.5 call out, for a launch an hour later) Tha extra 90 minutes could make all the difference between getting it there on time and being late.


Our customers pay a premium for ship with us. I think we need to protect the freight with the ASBYs. How many times has there been a wx issue and they pulled the hub-turning crew off a trip and replaced with an ASBY? Or a mechanical issue, causing an ATB with a hub-turning crew? What is the cost of a 727 Divert and the crew stopping at the Operational Duty limits? Airbus?

Penny wise, pound foolish??