I made room on the PM inbox. But remember it's harder to send me an infraction when my inbox is full.

/thinking two steps ahead

 

First of all, that's what she said. Secondly, sure.

 

Are we able to pick up trips while we are waiting for training. i.e., if I have training for currency in a couple of weeks (not current) and a trip opens up before that, can I WS it and then it gets dropped for awaiting training? Maybe they can get me in before that so I could fly it.

 

+1

I don't think buckets affect the amount of flying being done by reserves but I think it affects the amount of reserves doing the flying.

I don't really follow how getting rid of buckets reduces the headcount. However many pilots are take a month off is how many reserve pilots you can cut. If before you had two pilots flying 70 hours combined, now you have 1 flying 70 and 1 flying 0, so now you know you can get rid of one vs a system that had everyone churning about the same place.

And when RES was a straight RAW score system, seniority was a part of it and a major factor. It used to take 3 weeks for them to get to me. The whole point of the bucket system is as much as possible give the most senior pilot the month off and have the RES pilot work in his place. That's why they bandied about the "senior pilots want it" "everyone junior to #1 in category is junior and complaining only because they're junior" and termed it that the junior pilot would get "relief" within 5 days of work when he got to bucket 2. But that's not how it works but yet the bucket thresholds have remained unchanged from its inception no matter what peak or lull season we were in.

I really do not believe we should have a system giving people a month off and having other people fly in their place and say this is good.It's a perk for senior pilots that lets the company know just how fewer pilots it needs to operate. From what I can tell looking at ATL88B's vs A's and given more SCs and ALV+15, you can cut another 20 reserves off ATLM88B and be just fine, it'd match Captain staffing.

 

I'm curious how that is.

Under the old system of just RAW score (no buckets), I lost count of the number of times that I, as one of the most senior rsv, got a trip because someone junior in the same days of avail. had a raw score that was only 1-3 points greater than mine. Anybody on rsv knows a difference of 1-5 points is basically no difference in the amount worked.

I seem to recall that the only time seniority worked for you under the straight raw system was at the beginning of the month when everybody started over at zero.

Not arguing, just wondering what I may not be remembering. I just don't remember seniority playing that large of a part.

Also want to echo what somebody else mentioned about the distribution of trips "leveling out" now that the busy season is approaching, AE movements play out, etc.. That definitely seems to be the case in my category. Most of the senior guys are flying just as much this month as junior. And I saw one that already had 5 short calls by the second week.

 

Actually, you remembered it right.
Where seniority did not kick in was short calls. That was assigned via a shotgun or a jagged scalpel depending, I guess, on the scheduler.

The point is, as long as the junior pilot had a RAW 1 point higher, for having worked whatever got that 1 point, he or she was listed behind you. As to what a day is worth, I've seen a minimum of 9 and a high of 12, but most days are worth 10-11 points. There were times I YS'd a 2-day to get to the back of the line but a 1 point difference did not mean seniority won. Seniority works under the same premise, 1 digit difference is all it takes to be 1 number junior or senior no matter what you had done to get there and it is what it is, we accept it. Just like I accept the raw system even though I think it's bad deal for more pilots than it is a good deal for a few pilots.

Everyone is flying now, I agree. When they went from 100-110 RES in my category to the 80s for the last 4 months despite the category growing, everyone gets to fly. I think it was foolish to think that outside of a category like the ER and it's issues in the off season, the company wasn't just going to okay domestic pilots takings month after month off. They'd fix that glitch.

But let me cut to the chase, what you have here is people fighting for the right to take a month off from work with full pay. On the 88 the previous system was balanced QOL from top to bottom for nearly all 110 except those working every weekend, the new system shifts the benefit to a few and screwed reserve up for the majority. Now, they cut back on reserves and people are wondering if they'll actually hit the ALV+15 that was supposedly never going to happen. I don't think people thought this past the short term gain for a few because they hope to be a part of the few. But I guess I look at this the same as if we took 1 hour from all 530 pilots on the 88 and let that pay for some to have a month off of flying at ALV. It'd benefit 7 pilots. Probably top 7, but hey, you'll be senior one day too.

But that's just imho. FWIW, I bid reserve for four years to have weekends off, now, I'd rather fly a line with weekends on. That's what I think of our reserve system and I'd be top 3rd of reserve.

 

The 7ER Domestic Only and no Raw Score resolutions are

 

Well understand that this was the will of the 30-40 pilots in the room. A friend of mine went there and said the Reps kept out of speaking "for" or "against" a resolution except one comment on the 7ER category one. In fact, the most junior Rep kept his mouth totally shut on the RAW Bucket resolution which surprised my buddy. It was the ATL pilots meeting and this is what they brought forth. Don't like it, make sure you write your reps detailing why. You may even want to offer suggestions, but not going to the meeting and complaining on here do nothing.

 

What you have now is a lot of senior guys bidding reserve and a lot of junior guys holding lines in a category where they'd otherwise be deep reserve. If you take away the seniority on reserve then many will lose that line holding ability.

 

FTB,

We are overmanned now and so some guys are getting a good deal - just like when guys would complete training on the ER and then wait months for IOE. I don't begrudge the good deals for those who get them but I agree with you that they should not be getting the good deals on the backs of the junior guys. However I do not see that in my (LAX 73) category. I do see very junior commuters getting lines - which is good.

Once we get down to the manning levels that the company wants the discussion will probably turn to how all the reserves flying their butts off.

Scoop