I would like the batch sizes increased to allow getting through the ladder in a timely manner. Don’t have access to all the data to know what size that is.
Once this happens, there are no more batch size violations and no more 23M7 violations. This ‘should’ have the effect of fewer blanket WS and GS, which will allow getting trips assigned even quicker. This should allow a reduction in batch size while still getting trips assigned in a timely manner.

 

Alright, you’re hired! (To the company’s negotiating team.)

How does the company’s ability to staff trips more efficiently, all while paying out fewer payments to pilots, benefit the pilot group exactly?

 

I don’t understand how larger batch sizes causes fewer blanket slips. The easiest slip to enter into our archaic system is a blanket slip. Why would pilots start entering more nuanced slips, and why not leave one’s hat in the ring to potentially fly for premium pay or generate lucrative PB days? 2-day-prior coverage is only going to make accepting a green slip (with more notice) that much easier. And as long as coverage awards keep reaching almost all the way up the seniority list, flying green or IA on X days can be the only way (short of sick leave) pilots can get some weekends off.

If you’re trying to avoid getting into IAs via 23M7, ain’t no acceptable batch size going to help. Some of these things are happening 3 hours prior to report (did someone say short call?). All a massive batch is going to do is disturb dozens or hundreds of pilots for a trip they probably don’t want and probably couldn’t have if they wanted it.

 

If batch sizes go away completely, I could imagine some pilots simply changing their PCS prefs to AUTO ACCEPT (without auto ACK). That basically in effect creates a batch size of 1. Congratulations, you just made the problem worse (they didn't think we would do that!?)

Instead of fixing the issue, we are creating another issue. We go from 1 extreme (no batch size limitations) to the other (very limited batch sizes) and then BACK to the original extreme. AYFKM?!?

 

my hope is that they don't go extreme one way or the other like they did when they made it 1 and 5. there needs to be major discussion and testing. maybe a test run of a few months even as a trial

 

Really glad you posted this as I was about to say something similar but didn’t know who to quote. If batch sizes get bigger (and I hope they don’t) I could see myself making heavy use of auto accept but am unsure of the internal mechanics so a few questions as I’ve never used it.

A: If I put in a slip as referenced above and am the senior person in the batch does ARCOS even run? Or will my phone just ring with the “press 1 to acknowledge” message?

2: If ARCOS does run does it wait the full 15 minutes even though it already knows the answer?

D: If all 15,000 of us put blanket slips in with auto accept on have we done an end run around the company and self-declared a batch size of one?

Omega: Does this strategery work? (If it does I’ll shut up and you guys can have unlimited batch sizes for all I care). I put in a slip like referenced above, block ARCOS and the ARCOS phone number and let the VRU break through “do not disturb”. The only reason my phone will ring and wake me up is because I have a green slip that is mine to say yea or nay to?

 

Without regard to the rest of your post, I don’t think this part is correct. The “award” call comes from ARCOS as well, not the VRU….

 

I'd prefer they fix it by more properly staffing (or scheduling) the airline rather than us fixing it for them so they can continue to run everything hot. We used to do just fine when they had schedulers actually call pilots one-by-one, mainly because we didn't have the ridiculous number of GS we see these days. Bigger batch sizes simply allow them to continue the status quo, or worse, encourages them to push it even more. I sincerely hope our union doesn't give up current batch sizes, unless we get a giant ask in return.

 

we also had a lot less pilots (at least 2 or 3000 less) and not as many had blanket GS in. I also don't recall there being so many categories with over 400 pilots. I believe ATL 7ERB was the biggest a few years back. There's many factors. you'll always have premium trips at any airline. We need a viable way to get those trips covered instead of it taking 30 hours to get to the bottom of the list on these huge categories with 600 pilots.

 

I used Auto Accept for a about month, it was wonderful.

My phone only went off when the GS was mine but it confused the schedulers to no end. I only used it for GS that were in base that I would likely take - I wasn't fishing. I think out of the 4 GS that I "got" but declined the ACK - they only handled one correctly. The other 3 times they put the trip on my line, even though I declined the ACK when I didn't want the GS. I waited a while, sometimes up to 2 hours before calling them to tell them I wasn't doing the GS. Each time they took it off, but it was clear that it wasn't a common occurrence.