Unfortunately, DALPA doesn't have the contractual ability to have one hotel for M-F and a different on on S/S. The choices are a compromise to find the optimum location for all the layover days.

T

This! Delta and Alaska's ****ing match will only benefit skywest. Glad Alaska's pilots didn't negotiate any scope protection. :confused:

Well then perhaps they should find a hotel that would be good all 7 days in the week. In many cases, that would mean something other than downtown. What is this obsession we have at Delta with downtown? I just don't get it. Like FTB said, there are a few great downtown layovers, but in many (probably most) cases there are other areas that would have infinitely better options for eating, working out, etc. AND closer to the airport for those 5am pickups. IMO we need to rethink our contractual language on this... in many cases we are screwing ourselves with this downtown requirement.

I totally agree.

A layover cutoff of 14 hours would work. Over 14 hours and you go downtown. Less than that and you are at the airport.

I totally disagree. Now that we've put mainline jets on the routes AK used to fly, I think DAL pilots are pretty big winners.

I've always heard that it's because senior guys who fly internationally don't want to get stuck at the airport.

This is IMO only. The good downtown layovers-BOS, NYC, DCA, BWI, PIT, PHL, CHS, SAV, JAX, ATL, MCI, MEM, CVG, IND, MSP, ORD, STL, AUS, SAT, DEN, SAN, LAX, PDX, SEA, SFO, SLC, YVR, MSY. That's about it for the ER. The good non downtown layovers-FLL, PHX, TUS, LAS. The bad downtown layover choices-DTW, MIA, PBI. That's about it.

Sorry if this has been covered, but when do we bid for Vacation?

Also, Sabre is not ready yet for the year end time and per diem process. I could have sworn last year they took orders by now.

Any gouge??

TEN

Just going by memory but this should be pretty close: We will start bidding by weeks around late Dec to early January. The whole process lasts over a month from the primary week bid award until the last week bid award. I think the number of weeks available will also be published in late December.

Scoop

Concur. Some guys are focusing on the hotel change to 15 hours for long layo, which as you say I actually think is a good thing--tired of losing 3 hours in the round trip to downtown.

However, my only real question/point with this was the fact we have to take a train now to a hotel pickup point... and it's NOT an inside airport train, it's a totally external thing. And every other hotel in the entire United States picks us up at the terminal door.