FXDX

This is widely off topic, but it comes up often enough that I have to say something.

What the HELLO is wrong with white sneakers?

Any of you homo/metros touch me or my stuff, and I'll kill ya.

You just made the list pal.

I wear white sneakers at home, on the road, wherever. I will never not wear white sneakers. You got a problem with that? What, pray tell do you guys think looks better with jeans, and why do you care anyway?

FXDX, VERY wide feet, only comfortable shoes I own are EEEE sneakers. I happen to like white ones.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Cujo

From a different thread...but they don't always make any money..

LAKE WATEREE, South Carolina (CNN) -- At a time when the U.S. Postal Service says it is experiencing a financial crisis, it purchased a $1.2 million home from an employee so he could relocate, a CNN investigation has found....
...
Frey said the average cost of the 1,022 homes purchased through the USPS relocation program in 2007 and 2008 was $257,874. Fifteen of those remain on the market, he said.
Of the 1,022, 14 cost between $1 million and $2.8 million. All of those have been sold, Frey said, but typically at a loss once closing costs, attorneys fees and commissions are paid.

In 2007, after the U.S. housing boom peaked, the USPS lost an average of $50,542 on each deal, he said. In 2008, with the market in full retreat, the average loss climbed to $58,397.

Postal Service draws criticism for $1.2 million home buy - CNN.com

FXDX

They turned 65 since the last bid and were awarded the back seat of the 10 as a default until they could get excessed?

Why did the other two go to the back instead of the right? See the writing on the wall, or want better seniority?

MD11Fr8Dog

Is the juniorest of those four an infamous nugget DP flier with an FU 'tude?

FXDX

I'm not sure.

Cujo

...ding....ding...ding...winner

DLax85

Theoretically speaking, it looks like the total # going to training drops from 864 on Practice Round #1 down to 786 on Practice Round #2...and I would imagine the final #s on the final bid award will be slightly smaller.

Regardless, it's pretty clear that many guys who have remained very senior in the right seats are taking full advantage of this opportunity to bid a Capt seat and thus it's quite evident again that these Excess Bids generate far, far more training costs than one would expect from a total excess of 254 seats.

While I truly believe the company wants to get thinner in widebody seats (especially the MEM A300), I too am seeing the distinct possibility that large portions of this excess bid (except those would bid HKG) could be cancelled soon after the bid closes ---- or before much of the "expensive, swapping of seats type training" is actually conducted.

Once again, we are living in interesting times....very interesting times.

FXDX

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but probably 100 of those training evolutions will canx'd on 09-03 when a bunch of guys get excessed from the 75 to the 72. Plus, a couple hundred of those training cycles have to occur eventually to man the 77 and the 75 as they come on line regardless. Your point certainly has merit, but the marginal number of training evolutions is not as big as this bid alone would indicate. Keep in mind that the training letter will take at least 18 months to 2 years, the cost will be spread out over a fairly long term.

I sincerely hope the economy picks up and we don't have to furlough, but I'm not nearly as optimistic now as I was a few months ago. I still think the company is playing this one straight up and with a purpose.

FXDX

Training costs didn't seem to keep the company from having the giant excess bid last year to let all the over 60 guys back into the window seats. Seems to me that if they were that worried about training costs they would not have held that one. Could have waited for openings and let guys go back then, but they didn't bother. Maybe the house buying, move packages and training costs will cause them to reconsider, but I don't think so. Then again, if they fill HKG maybe it will be worth it to cancel some of the awards and stay fat in the BUS.

Interesting indeed.

DLax85

I agree to some degree --- and that's why I started my post with the words "Theoretically speaking".

...however, if a guy being flushed down from above moves from the 757 on this excess bid to a 727 on the next excess bid that means the training cycle didn't go away --- it just moved to the 727.

On this round there are 29 guys slated to go to 757 Capt --- I think they'll all go, since they'll need about 40-45 guys to train in the Capt seat over the next year in that jet due to hull growth (...my estimate).

On this round there are 177 guys slated to go to 757 FO --- I think at least 30 will go (and maybe much more over the next 12-24 months) because, once again, that is a growth acft regardless of the economy --- plus, bumping guys from the 757 to 727 doesn't save you any $$ on pay since they are the same pay rates....and over the long term you'll be holding excess 727 bids and bringing them right back to the 757 FO seat (..and that would truly be costing you an extra training cycle).

I do think there will be an excess off the 757 FO seat...and even off the 727 FO seat (...at least 35 or so) ---- but that will all be driven by two factors: how much "fat" they want to keep in the 757 FO seat --- in actuality or via a long drawn out training letter and how many folks they want to force into the back of the 727 --- unfortunately, for obvious reasons.