Pilot FLOP event
03-23-2026 | 06:25 PM
#11
On Reserve
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 93
Likes: 33
OP must be drinking some Kool Aid. It was neither informative nor honest.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
03-23-2026 | 06:27 PM
#12
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 2,294
Likes: 1,203
Trust nothing that these guys say, especially during section 6.
03-23-2026 | 06:36 PM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 2,294
Likes: 1,203
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
03-23-2026 | 06:38 PM
#14
Beef Chicken or Pasta
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 207
Likes: 286
OP must be drinking some Kool Aid. It was neither informative nor honest.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
03-23-2026 | 06:39 PM
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 12,547
Likes: 1,155
If my memory is correct, he cut his teeth on the shutdown of Comair followed by managing the alter ego of Mesa Airlines, as if that's something to boast about. So he has plenty of pages in that regional playbook
03-23-2026 | 07:19 PM
#16
Thread Starter
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,331
Likes: 385
A friend of mine attended the meeting.
Some key (subjective and opinion-based) takeaways:
1) The core purpose of the meeting was made very clear. What we call open time, FLOPS calls "demand." Demand has spiked since November and held high ever since. The reason for this is data-based increase in sick call usage, particularly on weekends. The reason for this increase was VERY strongly implied as sick leave abuse. It's supposed to be on all of us to help stop it.
2) The shotgun approach to the sick letters may have been off target, but something HAD to be done.
3) The moratorium on PB day usage was clearly due to the monetary cost. As in, washing payback days was costing too much money. It wasn't (or if it was, it was an afterthought) about operational reliability, despite what the FLOPS messaging stated.
4) They acted unaware, or at least less-than aware of the impacts pre-posted rest was causing disruption and inefficiencies for RES pilots.
5) PB days being converted to vacation isn't a big deal because they can plan ahead for it.
EDIT: Friend said there were probably 130+ pilots in attendance. 2 free beers each and yummy BBQ food. Lots more was talked about so the above is not nearly an exhaustive list. Lots of encouraging IT upgrades promised to be happening behind the scenes, for example.
Some key (subjective and opinion-based) takeaways:
1) The core purpose of the meeting was made very clear. What we call open time, FLOPS calls "demand." Demand has spiked since November and held high ever since. The reason for this is data-based increase in sick call usage, particularly on weekends. The reason for this increase was VERY strongly implied as sick leave abuse. It's supposed to be on all of us to help stop it.
2) The shotgun approach to the sick letters may have been off target, but something HAD to be done.
3) The moratorium on PB day usage was clearly due to the monetary cost. As in, washing payback days was costing too much money. It wasn't (or if it was, it was an afterthought) about operational reliability, despite what the FLOPS messaging stated.
4) They acted unaware, or at least less-than aware of the impacts pre-posted rest was causing disruption and inefficiencies for RES pilots.
5) PB days being converted to vacation isn't a big deal because they can plan ahead for it.
EDIT: Friend said there were probably 130+ pilots in attendance. 2 free beers each and yummy BBQ food. Lots more was talked about so the above is not nearly an exhaustive list. Lots of encouraging IT upgrades promised to be happening behind the scenes, for example.
6) auto-accept was firmly on-target by the presenter(s) during the event as the reason trip coverage is taking longer.
FWIW, "by the presenter(s)" could be added to much of what is quoted above.
Last edited by Verdell; 03-23-2026 at 07:34 PM.
03-23-2026 | 07:38 PM
#17
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 2
From: Fairly local
OP must be drinking some Kool Aid. It was neither informative nor honest.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
RG was defensive, argumentative, only got one softball (and was not nice about the response). He got hit with payback days, reliability letters, preposted rest, and pay questions. The softball was about A350 future destinations… “places” was the response. Real classy.
They blamed the pilots for their problems, took NO accountability beyond a tip of the hat towards acknowledging the reliability letters were not artfully issued and that was only after being called out (rightfully so) by a brave former CP who told them exactly how it affected him.
He directly threatened the order book if reliability didn’t improve. Failed to acknowledge their lack of hiring as a source of issues but did say they’re hiring full bore (go figure how to square that circle).
Overall it was not an impressive showing for FOPS management.
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