FDX -- trips not hitting open time?
 

Anyone else notice that trips seem to be assigned lately without ever hitting open time?

I have seen the morning sick dump about 8am eastern as I eat breakfast with the kids. However, I have only seen the night departures lately. Not sure when the afternoon departures are being released.

Noticed the same. Been trying to use 18 hrs of OTP before it gets taken out of my check with no luck. Suspect scheduling is holding back trips and assigning them to reserves to boost utilization. But there's no way to prove that since we can't see behind the curtain. Can any Reserves confirm my theory? Are they beeing used more? Anyway, so much for the transperancy that the last contract was supposed to provide...

SG

How about people that have listed theselves on the "general make up list" in VIPS?;)

I've seen plenty of trips pop (throughout the day), but they are being QUICKLY gobbled up...within 30 minutes or so.

No luck with General make-up either. However, I can't just pick-up anything because I'm a commuter, so as a minimum I need a front end DH (or a trip that's far enough out that allows me to reserve a J/S). Thinking about filing a grievance if they take it out of my pay...SG

MD11 CAP 478/14Jan just popped up within the last 30 mins, as of 0222pm ET

i am an airbus reserve guy and have not seen the utilization increase...at least not in the first 10 days of the bid month...

I agree with you. Earlier this morning (or late last night, depending on how you look at it,) there were 3 trips in 727 CAP open time. Currently there is a BIL overnight for this Sat available. The trips show up (oddly enough, most going to cold snowy places, go figure!!) and get scarfed up rather quickly.

As for a grievance if you can't find a trip meeting your preferences, good luck.

I think it has more to do with people being a little more conservative about dropping trips since the guarantees are going down. Then the trips that do get dropped are getting picked right up within a short period of time, for the same reasons.

Not really any different looking than the last 6-9 months, with the exception that there are not any standbys. Trips have not been hanging around in open time like they were in 2007...

Not to be too militant here, but what does anyone think about posting trip information and seat position for those guys that pick trips up, so that we can kind of police our own. They are only making things worse for the bottom guys, and everyone else too.

There are many different reasons to pick up trips. Not all are carryover or extra trips. Alot of people drop and swap often.

Did you not here about the United Airlines vs. their pilots lawsuit?

Sorry to say, but that is a bad idea...

I guess I'm confused. What is wrong with trip trading or flying make-up? Its not EXTRA flying. Besides Xmas week, has anyone had a DRF call lately? What are we policing, people improving their schedule???

I was more referring to the possibility of scheduling holding back trips and assigning to reserves

I have a friend who just flew with a 72 FO who has picked up 4-5 days of flying for a total of 30 additional hours pay this month. Thats what I am talking about, not trip swapping.

I've been on Reserve for most of the last 3 years. I watch open time pretty closely and can count on one hand the number of trips I was assigned that I ever saw in open time

I can specifically speak for my trip this week. FO called in sick at 1400 ish, still listed on the release at 0200 and scheduling used an airport standby to fill the launch to Europe. The trip never went into open time. They knew he was sick and didn't assign the trip until the last minute. Things that make you go HMMM.

So what's your point? If he flew it as M/U then he is only recouping pay to which he was entitled previously. If it was DRF/VLT, then it's a different story. Regardless, are you going to ask guys in the cockpit to disclose under which pay category they are operating each and every trip? Don't get me wrong, I'm just as hot as you about current events, but, IMO, your vector should be redirected. ;)

They were drafting in the 'Bus last night. Probably for ASTBY. He didn't leave details on the voicemail.

There is no question anymore. They are holding back trips or assigning them to reserves with lightning speed. It's all an attempt to limit open time pickup.

No need to get mad at open time hawkers. They company is "taking care" of that problem without our help.

drafting for bus capt? isn't that the seat we are supposed to be fattest in?

:confused:So are you gonna just start defining the "BoxDawg rules of open-time ethics" for the rest of us to pay homage to?? Ummmm.........can I please have your approval to swap a trip to snowy Buffalo and pick up an open time trip to Vegas? Careful you don't start treating open-time trips like DP's. Now THAT'S a slippery slope!:mad:

Lets not all go nutz here. Picking up a trip is not always for the wrong reasons. If I drop 3 or 4 Rdays in Jan and then make it up in Feb it will look like extra flying, but it's not. What if I wait 3 or 4 months to make up the time I dropped. You can't look at someone's schedule in any given month and know what his deal is. What if I trip trade down a few hours and make that up the next month or the next? Be careful what you accuse people of.

We need to stick together and assume our brothers are doing the right thing. We always shoot first and ask questions later!

I can attest, all Airport Standby's need to pack for all your R days. And bring Your Laptop.

Guys like you really scare me....

Hey man, I dont mean to scare anyone here. It just seems like common sense that we not pick up trips in open time (above our current months BLG) until we get past this "overmanning issue". If we all continue to fly make up (above our BLG) then dont we present a definitive picture of overmanning? I am not in favor of making a list and checking it twice, that is divisive as it can get, just asking peoples opinions on the issue. Settle down.

I am not trying to dictate anything to you, what are you getting all upset about bro? How would your described situation have any negative effect on our overmanning situation? It wouldnt, I'm just trying to protect the bottom 500, of which I am not.

Like R1200 said, we can't know what someone did last month and what their makeup situation is.
I dropped down to 20 hours this month because my VTO was crap. Now I'm hawking open time to get back to something close to 68. If I don't make it, are you going to put me on the "list" if I fly heavy next month?

Honestly, I'm not going to watch or care what anyone does unless they furlough (and I don't think they will or can) or announce a furlough. Then I'll be watching everyone's schedule.. that I can.

Hmmmm ...............

I just want to make this clear. If you see that I have picked up a couple of trips you are going to do the due diligence and go back a few months and see if I have dropped trips and then add up all the hours I dropped and make sure I'm not going over my alloted time. That's what you're telling me?

this thread has gotten divisive...

I didnt mean this to be divisive, and I am NOT in favor of "a list", despite those that have already put me on their "#@&^ list" for my simple question. Divisive is what we dont need! I guess that I have my answer, and I guess that we have a majority opinion of "fly as much as we possibly can as long as we can". Duly noted. I am going to go downstairs and go do my MEM hub turn, its a crapper. I am also going to go back to looking at open time to makeup the over 600 hours I have of bank time (mil leave), I just didnt want to screw anyone here by picking up.
BD

i don't think that is the majority opinion on this site. i just don't think a list is a good idea. most of the guys on this site will do the right thing....most of 'em!

and good luck with that hub turn...really.

As a guy who can only hold reserve, I have noticed that all the sudden, I don't get advanced notice of a trip. I now get a last minute call out to the minute of my trip/stby. A very curious thing indeed. I asked the scheduler why, and he told me that all the open time and A.M standbys were being snatched up in open time. I don't buy it. Or at least the A.M. stbys. Nobody picks those up that I know of.

They don't have any A.M. or P.M. stbys in open time in my seat. And being on reserve, it seems that all of the call outs are 1 hour, for trips and airport standbys. What is up with that $hit! Union, we need help.

F/O..........

I think that is the problem with deciding what "the right thing to do" is via the forums ...... it ends up being divisive ........ or a lawsuit.

:cool:

For those of you who were not on FedEx property prior to 2006, or 1995 for that matter, this discussion is rapidly falling into what Management and their union busting consultants thrive on: we start eating our own! If you ever wondered why your fellow pilots' trip pay codes are sanitized from the pairings, Management enacted that practice to protect their "200 per centers" during our November 1995 self-help debacle.

FedEx pilots are victims of the modern culture that our company helped create: I WANT IT NOW!! We tend to shoot ourselves in the foot seeking instant personal gratification instead of looking ahead for the long-haul, i.e, what is in the best interest of everybody is probably going to help me, too.

I personally have no problem with a pilot doing a M/U trip to make himself whole for pay that was lost previously. The gray area is abusing M/U, (or carry-over, for that matter) to fly extra at straight pay:mad:.

In the meanwhile, my family is adjusting its budget to live on 48/60, and fortunately my wife has the ability to pick up some more work to help out.