Disputed pairs?
 

Sorry Folks,

I'm not an airline pilot, but I see the term "disputed pairs" in this forum a lot. I try to understand what I am reading but I have NO idea what that term is.

Does it have to do with pilots picking who they want to fly with??

Thanks in advance.

It (disputed pairing or DP) is a FedEx ALPA scheduling improvement group (SIG) term. The short answer is the SIG reviews our trips (pairings) built by the company and decides if they are coming too close to our negotiated rules. The DP's don't specifically violate any of our pairing rules, but may be getting just a little too close to the line.

They (SIG) "dispute" these pairings, so the company either tries to fix them right then and there for the month...OR if they won't fix them, the company won't publish them in a bid pack. The trips are still out there to be assigned. The only way someone can get one is to specifically request it or be assigned it on reserve. If it is disputed for 3 months (I think), then the VP of flight ops decides if it needs to be fixed. If nobody voluntarily flies it for 3 months, then it sometimes will be fixed. If people have been voluntarily flying it month after month, then the SIG doesn't have much ammo for the continued dispute.

I'm sure you will get some more in depth discussions about it, but this is the quick an dirty...

Thanks Matty...that makes sense. Do other airlines have a similar system?