15 minutes on a TAFB trip amounts to 4 minutes of pay. That buys the first 2 beers on the 1st night's layover.

Or...4 minutes X 2 TAFB trips/Month = My son's allowance.(He's not old enough to drink)

 

There is always one in the crowd.

 

Yep, none of our planes say "The World, Early"

 

I've always tried to leave my crashpad roughly half an hour early ... what if there's traffic (or a car accident blocking the road?), what if I get a flat tire, what happens if that 35 degree rain turns into freezing rain on the highway? I hate to be rushed (I think many errors in the plane are caused by folks rushing), and I can read the aircraft log, release and weather MUCH more carefully online than standing in the dark cold jet. I try to leave for the plane a few minutes early so that if the load crew is ready a few minutes early ... that I'm ready also.

I'm also a pretty big supporter of the fuel sense idea. Making the company a few extra bucks is good for my long term job security.

I've considered all of the above part of being a professional aviator. That said, I no longer believe the company appreciates my extra efforts (as evidenced by their lack of response to the union concerning furlough mitigation and other issues. Don't even get me started about WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, expat packages are for people with special skills, etc.). I too have started a "if it's not in the contract (or at least the FOM, AFM), then I'm not doing it" personal campaign.

I'm disappointed that management doesn't show more respect for us line folks (and please, I'm not talking about more thanks for the great job over peak FCIF's). Seems like a really short sighted perspective to me. What are those guys thinking?

 

USMCFDX,
I certainly agree with the intent and overall tone of your post given managements recent provocations. I do, however, I think we should find another issue to rally around. If I remember correctly, showtime has historically been one hour (going back 15 years at least). A few years back, management began building 1.5 hour showtimes into trips for a short period of time. It amounted to a half hour of extra work for NO extra pay for the great majority of our trips. We, as a group, convinced them to change it back to one hour.

 

After a huge paycut at the last Major airline I was furloughed from, the captains I flew with started flying a little slower and taxiing a little slower. I suggest we all slow down and do everything by the book. As a matter of fact, we should stop and pull the book out and read it out load together. Safety is paramount.......and I am paid by the minute.

 

1.5 hour show was after 911 for deadheads due to the elevated security and possible delays getting to the gate. I do not remember when the 1.25 went away, but it used to be there.

Mark I agree with getting to AOC early I am still going to do that. Fuel sense also makes sense, I want FedEx to be profitable. I consider these things part of my professionalism. Making sure I arrive at work in order to check in on time, and be at the folder on time. Did I mention I will be on time.

I think I might even start making sure I have my watch exactly to VIPS time and my finger is not going to hit the scanner until 5 prior minutes to show. That gives me a whole 5 minutes to walk to the furthest folder from the finger scanner. Heck, I probably could even grab a cup of coffee and still make it on time to the folder, you guessed it, on time.

 

Lets get rid of meet and greet hiring process...

 

This discussion seems to be deja vous all over again. If the contract says show time is one hour prior, then if you're comfortable showing one hour prior, that's what you should do. However, I know there are guys out there, certainly not any of you master aviators, but guys who might need a few extra minutes, to get their Sierra together, they should get there with enough time to do their jobs correctly. Everyone wants to be professional and fly a good jet. As well, hopefully anyway, everyone wants the company to make lots of money, if for no other reason, than to keep you living above the poverty line, and to pay for all your toys. With the above in mind, I'd say, if you can hack the hour show, do it. If you feel it's important to taxi slowly, do it. Go direct or not, your choice. Show for your deadhead at precisely one hour prior, and if you miss the flight, let crew travel worry about it. Fine. But, overall conduct yourself in a professional manner in, on, and around the jet. That way, when you're standing tall in the CP's office, he'll at least not be able to say that you've been acting unprofessional, and please explain yourself. Mostly this extra time issue is something I believe guys do to increase their comfort level. If you're satisfied with the minimum expenditure of time to get the job done, good on ya.

JJ

 

Let's be honest. In Memphis, the time we show at the trip folder has very little to do with when we depart.
I'm going to show up with a semblance of an idea of what the weather and notams are to prevent being screwed by an inadequate plan from GOC versus planning to catch it at the last minute. That's just the way I roll. I'm not doing it for the company, I'm doing it for me.
Most of my trips pay TAFB, or if I'm hub turning-pay 3Ch per duty period. Thus, the vast majority of my trips washed out the 15 min early show-so, I'm glad it's gone. Again, that extra 15 minutes prior at the folder meant essentially nothing in a departure from Memphis. Most of the time it meant killing 20-30 mins in Memphis before we went out to the plane.
On the rare occasion a trip paid TAFB, 15 minutes extra is equal to an extra 4 mins with the new trip rig, so, my bad on using the old figure.