Galaxydriver

[Why International Gateways?
-This part of Gateway Basing will save the company money, and make it easier for us to get Gateway Basing for all of us, as it will lower the cost of the Gateway Basing system.
-If you are Gateway Based in London, and a trip starts or end near London, it will save the company money by having you do the trip, instead of DH some guy from far away to do the trip near London


Cliff,

I don't know that this will save the company money. It sounds great that if you live near where a trip starts, you can just start there, but in reality you still have to be able to bid and hold that line. They would probably end up spending more money flying those folks that live overseas back to start trips where most of them originate. Unless they start building trips for those guys. I don't know anything about PBS and if that would solve that problem.

atpcliff

PBS does not have lines at all. You bid your preference...days of, destinations you want to go to, destinations you want to avoid, max weekends off, whatever your preferences are.

HercDriver130

I have used PBS before unless you are in the top 20% of a bid group... its a pain in the ass....

as for your variable days off...... so junior guys should HAVE to work more than 17 days..?? wow....

Fillmore Slim

No PBS please, and get rid of gateway travel/home basing all together and just pay me a hell of a lot more. It would be good to poll the group and find out how many people live in their base. Of course, if we can't be compensated handsomely for giving up gateway travel, then keep it.

atpcliff

We had PBS before here at Atlas. I was in the bottom 99% of the group. It was easy and quick for me to bid, and I got decent results. When I got a bit of seniority it was really nice.

Line bidding works well for DAL/AA/UAL. We do not have the same type of structure that they have. PBS is WAY better for our type of flying, than is line bidding.

Variable days off does NOT mean that junior guys work more. It means that the guys who want to work less, they work less. The pilots that want to work more, they work more. The guys that want to keep it the same, they keep it the same.

The union puts out a survey to find out what % of the pilot group wants to work more/the same/less. What will probably happen, is that 1/3 will want to work more, 1/3 less, and 1/3 the same. Everyone gets what they want. In my case, I want to work the same number of days as I work now.

The aviation organization that I know that uses variable days off, has a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 mix. Everyone gets what they want.

atpcliff

I love Gateway. I don't want to have to JS to work and worry if I will make it or not.

I also heard that we got Gateway for nothing...in other words, we didn't give up anything to get Gateway, which mean, logically, that it is worth nothing to the pilots group, if that is the case.

744driver

Cliff,

I appreciate the conversation you have started...

One thing I disagree with...Gateway cost us a heck of a lot to get in our first CBA. And very comma, period, and every word, costs something. There are NO free provisions in a contract...

Especially with our management team...sad, but true.

DC8 Driver

One of the main reasons I've stayed at Atlas is I can live wherever the heck I want and I don't have to thumb a ride to work. I live out in the middle of nowhere and need a confirmed ticket to get into position. I know many guys in the same boat as me; getting rid of gateway travel would be a self serving move for crews that live near their base and drive to work imho. I would like to see us get rid of gateway and just go to homebasing so we don't have to pay imputed travel; and Cliff, I love your idea of 90$ and hour per diem. You need to form a slate and put that as your campaign slogan "90 dollar an hour per diem" you would get everyone's vote!

atpcliff

Gateway Basing also gets rid of Imputed Income, just like Home Basing does.

When you have Home Basing, your "Tax Home" is your Home.

When you have Gateway Basing, your "Tax Home" is your Gateway. The only imputed income would be if Atlas pays money to get you to your Gateway. IN our system, you get to your Gateway on your own, so no imputed income.

atpcliff

A senior guy told me his version of how we got Gateway. It was the opposite of your version. I wasn't there, I just listen to what people tell me. This guy told us the company wanted to use gateway to make sure we were in position for the trip, so they gave it to us for nothing. Obviously, the guy's explanation could be wrong.