FDXLAG

Most of my deviations are similar to albies, my solution is I just will not officially devaite when I fly NW. Use tripmanager and it is easy to get duplicate trips. The scheduled trip wont be charged if it is an E ticket and unused (NW only). The only catch is if it is a carry over and you want to slide the deviation expense, than you must deviate.

Is this a chicken shlt thing to do to NW? yes. But so is not letting me use the scheduled taxi to YUL when I catch up to the scheduled inbound.

LAG

machz990

I tried that this month. I didn't deviate on one of my front end D/H's but when it came time to do the check-in I couldn't because I didn't deviate and the system thought I was going to be checking in at the thumb scanner in MEM. So I had to quickly call crew scheds and deviate since I was inside the window and then do my initial check-in.

My point in this matter is that we've been able to deviate internationally on one leg up until recently and now it changed without formal notice to the crew members.

CaptainMark

hey oldman..u r truly a class act... your domestic partner must be proud!

Jetjok

Albief,

The "commuter friendly policies" which you enjoy working under here at FedEx do not in any way, shape, or form, include the deviation policy, IMHO. Once you elect to deviate, if anything at all goes wrong, the best that you can hope for is to not get screwed. My last SIBA trip on the Airbus was a deadhead to Mumbai. Of course it started out in Memphis and then flew to Europe for a day layover and then down to Mumbai and another day layover, before operating to Bangkok. Living in the North East, I elected to deviate and fly out of JFK. Air India (Yes, I know. Don't even start ) had a direct flight and so I booked it. When I got to JFK, I was told by the AI agent that I needed a VISA to get into India. I showed her our ICAO letter, which she looked at but still denied me boarding. I called crew scheduling to see if they had any suggestions and to just let them know what I had run up against. That was almost as dumb as booking on Air India.

The scheduler immediately asked if I was deviating, to which I answered "Yes." At that point he said that he really didn't have any suggestions, as I was deviating. I told him I wasn't asking for his help, but only any ideas he might have for me. Again, he said that he could not offer anything. I got the distinct impression that he didn't care about my situation, and so I asked him that question. I said "don't you care that I may not make my show time (in Mumbai), to which he answered that it didn't matter at all to him, because I was deviating. I then said to him that he would care in about 3 days when I didn't make show time, and he'd have to scramble to get another guy over there to operate the trip - 3 days late. He laughed and said it still wouldn't matter to him, because he only had one day left before going on vacation.

It all worked out in the end and I had a full 24 hours to enjoy playing squash at the Leela hotel in Mumbai. However, since we're all on the same side here, why would those guys in scheduling take that position? It seems to me that FedEx makes money on guys who fly double deadhead trips. Especially if they live in or near the deadhead city. As well, if we all lived in Memphis, or because of the fear of screwing up, we all actually took the "scheduled deadhead", I don't believe the system could accommodate all of us. There are not that many available seats leaving out of Memphis on any given day. So, in my opinion, we are actually helping out the company by deviating, and as such, should not have to relinquish all rights and contractual protections. Failing that, I'd just like it if crew scheduling would at least seem to care for our situation.

Merry Christmas, from this deviate.

cma2407

Enjoy your holiday at home. For us "poor guys" who suffer through XMAS in Osaka, that's the tradeoff for meeting the frau for a 3 day layover in HNL, then going to the beach in SYD on this "heinous" trip. And not a hub turn in sight.

To each his own.

PS: Think they'll let me do it again next month?

Jetjok

Don,

You crack me up And I suffer through your posts only because your sister is Soooo Hot! But a question for you: What is the plural of dickheads?

FDXLAG

I agree with your point about the no notice change. JL should at least retract his E Mail. Can we no longer do a Vips checkins on DH out of MEM?
LAG

Albief15

Okay--now that negotiations are over and we are working "together" with the company on safety and other issues...perhaps we could run this up through our block reps.

It would be nice to see an LOA with some hard/fast definitions and protections layed out.

Here's another question...IF I cancel a scheduled DH but take a FDX jumpseat instead...and the FDX flight cancels...is that treated as no harm/no foul or as a missed check in?

Airbusdriver

Maybe for one month we could all not deviate on our deadheads. Just show up and check in at the deadhead showtime in Memphis. Would flight management notice. I think this course of action has been suggested before. Would it be considered a "job action"?

R1200RT

Yo CaptainMark, I'm in Sydney and it's Christmas day. I'm headed out to spend FedEx's 50 bucks for lunch/dinner. This is what the job is all about. You enjoy Memphis and your go nowhere light twin. I'm looking out my window looking at the Opera house and the Sydney Harbour bridge it just doesn't get any better than this. What do you see out your window? Oh yea Memphis. It's too bad you are missing out on a great job, but then you are senior to me so stay on the La'chick POS.

Merry Christmas from down under. G'day mate