The company can post monthly bids if they choose to go that route. Nothing prohibits it. NW ran a relatively static system with far fewer bases and equipment types. You can’t compare it to the industry today.

 

Not really accurate. In early 1999, when the APA system was implemented, NWA had six bases, DTW, MSP, MEM, HNL, ANC, and SEA. All bases save MEM had SOs, and even tiny HNL had two fleet types. Take that all and multiply it by 2 because block and reserve were separate categories. Fleet types were the DC-9, 727, A320, 757, DC-10, 747-200 and 747-400. That’s a darn complex fleet for a 6,000 pilot airline. There was a ton of upward movements and there was nothing static about it.

Every month the bid would close and like clockwork, there would be at least a page or two of awards, even in slow periods. Somehow “bad old” NWA managed to train all those people and have them in their new categories in 100 days. Month after month, years on end.

That’s right, just 3.5 months after the award, pilots were in their new spots. And that’s on top of managing the TDY awards.

Predictable, transparent, convenient, and easy to remember. Ya, can’t have any of that ‘round here.

 

The static term concerned the route system and aircraft positioning within the system.

 

I don't understand this mentality of "well, reroutes suck, but just deal with them." NO! Why should I suffer for the company's staffing problems?

I bid a lot of layovers that I really like/want to be on. If my 30 hour BOS layover changes to an 11 hour ATL layover, I'm supposed to just "deal with it?" I bid this stuff for a reason! Why should the company be allowed to ineptly staff the airline, and I'm the one who suffers for it?

This can be solved incredibly simply. We MUST get it in our next contract, and don't ask me how to do specific language because I am not a lawyer, nor am I smart, but we have to get it where if you get rerouted, you get 2x pay for that reroute. Plain and simple. There must be punitive action towards the company if they choose to mess with your hard-fought for schedule that you picked for whatever reason. And don't tell me they can't afford it. They can.

 

Is anyone still getting rerouted illegally now that ALPA keeps a rep in scheduling? I think this is a joke and the company will still illegally reroute when necessary.

 

Saw this happen recently: Reserve GS, last day only 1 flight ending at base. Gets ACARS reroute to fly another flight, layover, and fly the next day. Sounds legit since it's RES and not REG.

A5S

 

Hard fought schedule, indeed. Imagine if a pilot stayed on the crappiest, second-lowest paying airplane at the company (MD88) just to build seniority…so said pilot could bid specific trips and layovers. Only to be routinely rerouted with little to no thought given. Completely negates any seniority advantage other than rotation show time.

 

I agree with this, what’s really at stake is seniority there should be penalties not rewards for their ineptitude.
No doubt some manager gets a bonus for squeezing us.

 

Yes


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I bid a lot of trips that suck otherwise to get a 24 hr layover where my mother lives or a "redeye home" from where my brother lives so I can catch dinner with him after work then go fly home.

Rerouted a couple times either shortening the layover where the drive to the farm doesn't make sense (she lives 90 miles from the airport, I usually rent a car and drive) or just plain miss the layover totally.

But I get the crap end of the trip (usually double uncommutable) that I was willing to eat to get the layover at mom's farm.

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