FDX - Are you still woring 15 Minutes for free?
 

Since all of the focus has been lately about the reduced BLG, 61:46 for me next month, I would like to focus on some other lost hours.

We used to have 15 minutes scheduled prior to every trip 1:15 show prior to launch. Now we have an 1:00. More lost pay.

Are you still showing up to the folder 15 minutes early? That is fifteen minutes or your time. That is time you are working for free, never mind extra at straight pay. You are working for free!!

I admit I was still doing it, but no more. If FedEx says a show of one hour prior to launch is all I need to do all of the admin required prior to flight and catch a bus to the jet, then one hour it is. At the folder one minute early is still early, I will be on time. "The World On Time" is on the side of our jets, not "The World Early". I will more than likely be in AOC anyway, but I will catch fifteen more minutes of Oprah on the TV prior to arriving at the counter.

Nothing unprofessional about showing up on time ready to do my job, at the time FedEx says I should be there.

And you will not catch me on a crew bus prior to show that is for sure!

My favorite is catching a DH.

Sometimes they say "allow extra time to make the flight." Indeed.

Schedules can give us extra time any time they like. We're not the ones that created the problem by showing up on time!

I suggest we all sing along cum-by-ya on the crew bus out to the 800 gates. That should take about 30 minutes.............;)

Missing a letter / freudian? H or K Whoring or Working

I noticed that also after I posted and thought the same thing. Wish I could say I was that whitty to have done it on purpose.

How many times do we accept direct clearances by ATC? How many times do we fly .85 instead of .80 to catch up to get back on time. If we flew the planned route and speed no matter what, do you think it would have an affect on things. We have always been can-do kinds of guys and will do anything to make it work.

Instead of the "world on time."

How about

"The Folder, On Time"

or "The World, just in time":D

And not a minute early...

The 15 minutes early at the folder only impacted hard time trips. Most trips at FedEx pay for MPDP and the extra 15 minutes wasn't reflected in pay. Only showed up if TAFB was greater than 24 hours, and amounted to a whopping 2 minutes of pay.

And no, I tend to aim to try and show at the folder in the 5-10 mins early to give me a bit of slop if something should go awry. But, I do show up aware of the NOTAMs and weather that might impact my certificate. But, that's just extra work I do for me to keep from winding up with the feet on a carpet somewhere listening to an ALPA lawyer rephrase my words into verbiage sufficient to keep baby in new shoes.

And remember, nobody puts Baby in a corner

Well that whopping 2 minutes of pay is pay I and many others no longer get. It is lost pay never to be recovered. Just one of the small chips.

Where in the contract does it say you should show up early to give your self some slop if something should go awry? FedEx says an hour is all you need. If something goes awry, I will start to deal with the issue after my show time, and I will not rush myself doing so. If the flight is late due to something going awry, then so be it, it was out of our, the pilots control anyway.

Why do I need to show up aware of weather and NATAMS? Is that not part of why I show up an hour prior to take off?

I will show up dressed professionally, ready to do my job in a professional manner, on time, not early for when things might go awry.

I used to show up early and you have valid points, but I will now be on time. That is when the contract says I need to be there.

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.

You aren't one of those dudes complaining about doing CBT on there own time are you?

no, but I don't take the time to actually read all of the CBT stuff-just skip forward to the test so I actually finish them quicker than the 3CH I get for doing them (8 hours real world time)

Not that I'm giving anything back

I've been doing this for as long as I can remember. And yes, you have time to get some java and even say hi to a few friends! :)

They started the 1:15 show circa 2005 for the two pilot airplanes. They said MX needed more heads up, yada yada...

Like it's been pointed out, most hub-turns didn't get any extra money for it.

It went away circa 2007.

Make a game of it. See how close you can be to check in time. I think you can be up to 59 seconds late and it still is counted on time. :)

Call skeds, tell them you can't get your fingerprint to work...then go to the furthest folder with your cup of coffee. It could prove handy with the weather coming:eek:

You are missing a big part of the equation.....the +15 show made many trips un-turnable. The company wanted to get rid of it because it was costing $$$. They take advantage of us giving 115%.

Show on time.

Roger that, show on time, eat your scooby-doo, scratch the nads, easy on the DG check(make it a thorough one) yawn, scatch, close the door, call for beacon at the appointed time...release brakes after you understand the drawl y'all....you get the pic.

WHAT, an extra 15 minutes of duty time made many trips un-turnable. Sure wasn't my experience in the bus, there were tons of lines built with those extra 15 minutes during the time the company was trying it out to "enhance" system reliability.
The thing that surprised me was how many Capts showed up 15 early to the 1+15 show and wanted to go right out to the airplane and sit and wait there.