I don’t speak for the association, but I find these concessionary. I don’t want to cede the time I currently use to investigate the feasibility of flying a green slip (or sorting multiple rotations) since like many pilots I have friends, family and commitments that sometimes need accommodation. If I’d have to yield that just to be in the running, how about I get an hour of pay for checking the magic box?

Some things I’ll voluntarily give to the company:

- My approval to schedule flying their manning actually supports
​​​​​​- My approval to schedule ALVs that allow for adequate reserves in every category, to include on holidays, in leap years, and even in months with a chance of thunderstorms
- My approval to pay pilots extra to beef up their short-notice trip coverage options that we JUST negotiated
- My approval to let them use contractual means to add extra voluntary reserve days despite never (to my knowledge) using this win-win provision
- My approval to cover trips a day earlier than they ever have in the history of Delta Air Lines as detailed in our new contract
- Carte Blanche to modernize the white- and green slip parameter interface as they see fit
- My approval to move on instantly once I’ve declined a rotation
- No questions asked if they want to pay schedulers well enough they stay and learn their jobs and our contract
- No questions asked if they want to grow the scheduler cadre sufficiently to staff the operation during IROPs.

Forgive my ignorance, but couldn’t all this be solved ahead of time if the company simply ran coverage sooner?

Seems like what they do now is use up nearly all of the reserves, and then skip GS to go straight to IA at the last minute.

If they started pushing out GS ARCOS calls sooner, when it’s obvious they’re short staffed, they could find the extra help they need and have the reserves available to cover last minute stuff.

In other words, isn’t the primary factor here the fact that they wait so long to start covering trips?

I agree, but That would require forward thinking. Problem with crew scheduling is they are super understaffed. And they are taking care of the alligator closest to the boat, without regards if that’s going to let 4 more get even closer. Save now even if it sets later in fire.

Could be solved, though, if we flew a schedule we were staffed for and they gave crew resources all the resources they needed to do their job more timely and efficiently.

I flew a 4 day trip recently. Other person called in sick. 1st 2 legs covered by a reroute. The last leg of day 1 and the last 3 days, flew with 3 people on 2 day green slips. Seems efficient right???

You’re talking about a coverage ladder shakeup…that just happened and rolls out with this new PWA. Earlier coverage, and the option to premium-pay earlier to theoretically preserve reserves.

Personally, I’d like to see how these and other C19 provisions play out while we’re still understaffed in August before we go changing more things about trip coverage that will surely have more unintended consequences.

For sure.

As far as the coverage ladder is concerned, even if kept in the same order as it is now, could they (presently) just run it sooner? Assign reserves sooner, start the green slips sooner?

I think batch sizes are a positive. Last minute coverage is not.

I’d support a reasonable method to stop people from submitting blanket green slips hoping to catch the pay for a violation, but I can’t think of a fair mechanism to do so.

I would not support that unless the Company gave us something significant in return. Positive Space?? This is their problem to solve. I get that they are solving it with 23M outside the intent of the contract but there is a grievance in work that I hope makes them pay for that transgression.

First, a question: if a senior pilot got skipped for a GS because CS bypassed the coverage ladder and went to IA on a Monday, would the same pilot again get paid if the same thing happened on Tuesday or would that go to the next senior pilot (maybe the assumption is yesterdays pilot should be flying on Tuesday). What if the same thing happened several times on Tuesday?

Also, it’s sad/funny that half the gripes are are about batch sizes being too large, the other half is about CS covering out of order because it takes too long to run through the ladder, but no one has an issue with people putting in blanket GS which slows down the process, prevents commuters from getting it before last flight of the night, and the delay our customers encounter when CS reroutes a crew, making their day longer, sometimes without any extra pay. Don’t put in a blanket GS if you’re not willing to fly a 5:15 early report or use the do not call during these hours function you, please. Let’s help ourselves with out here.

But what if I miss free $$ for batch size violations?!?!? /s/

As usual, as pilots we are our own worst enemies. Probably half of the ones with blanket green slips in with no intention of flying double cover themselves by calling into CS and asking to be RR or for a GS.

What is wrong with putting in for a GS with little to no intention of flying one? It’s in the contract. It is legally, morally and ethically allowed. If you don’t do it you are kind of dumb as you may be missing out on money for your kids education or to allow you to retire early etc. The Company needs to fix this mess. Pilots should not be fighting amongst themselves for doing what is allowed in the contract. Now I would argue that a pilot calling in just to see if they can pick up an IA out of seniority is outside the contract and is not ethical.