I'm not coming down on this issue one way or the other, but it was YOU that called a bunch of guys thieves. So... tell us all then how is it that they were stealing? It sounds to me llike they were well within the bounds of their contract. If they called in sick (the reason has to be reconciled in their own minds as to whether it is truly legitimate) how is that stealing? Or... are you one for the doctor's note route? Nevermind, I think I have my answer to that one. Of all the people on the forums, I would think you would be defending a pilot's right to excercise his contract. But, I guess if your morals find it distasteful, even if it is within the bounds of said contract.. well then someone is obviously stealing. OK.. got it.

Oh and as far as Kiffin goes... I said I wasn't gonna talk about it anymore, but since you brought it up. We were the jilted brides. We had his back and he turned on us. We backed him when a big part of the college community was throwing rocks. He left. OK.. I have said, I didn't like the fact that he DID leave. I have also said I understand WHY he left. Still didn't make the pain any less. I'm over it. We have a better guy now anyway.

 

90% of the industry charges bag fees so some say they'll go elsewhere but when they get there they'll realize that the other guy charges too. Fact is that we provide a service that moves people and their things. Moving their stuff costs money also and therefore we should charge for it. People always think they deserve stuff for free when it comes to the airlines and honestly it's gotten out of hand. When I buy gas at a gas station I don't expect to get a free carwash or drink to go along with the gas I just purchased. The airlines caused alot of this by allowing customers to feel they deserve freebies! You see it all the time, people get ****ed if they're delayed for weather and feel they should be entitled to upgrades, free tickets, free drinks etc.

Passengers choose the lowest ticket price and expect the world, fact is we are charging for bags now because we need to to offset cheap ticket prices.

It's a sad industry when we Lise money just to make customers "happy"

 

tsquare-
I attended the UT-Ole Miss basketball game last week the day after Dooley was announced. He was introduced to the UT faithful for the first time at that game. He walked out onto the court with his very young kids and the crowd went wild. Its going to be a breath of fresh air I think.
The conversations I overheard were mostly about how glad people were to get rid of Kiffin. Some of that was certainly sour grapes but there was a genuine sense that Kiffin was a Hollywood pretty boy type that didn't really fit in Knoxville. He belongs in L.A.

 

Yup.. I have heard the same thing. The one thing about LK is that he knows how to recruit. I really hope Dooley can... time will tell fer sure.

 

He served under Saban as recruiting coordinator at LSU. He'll do fine. UT will be back atop the east in no time.

 

Yes, you are.


OK, for the purpose of this discussion I'll retract that comment. You're focusing on that one word that I used (wish I hadn't), and it's distracting from the core discussion. What about the argument that it took "stones" or "getting a pair". Where's the logic there?

Oh, you were an architect at one point, so you should know logic and structures . If sick leave useage was as Captain Courageous described, why did it fall so precipitously when management enacted a call in honest policy? Are guys now flying sick? I'm sure their stress was reduced so much that they suddenly were "healthier".

Did you apply this same logic to all your comments about Leo Mullin, Fred Reid, Michelle Burns, et. al.? The reason(s) has to be reconciled in their own minds as to whether it is truly legitimate.

Dunno, but I think you called a spade a spade back then. Are you showing some situational ethics here?

Absolutely not, and your implication otherwise is offensive. But I'm also not one to make a reserve work when I'm not sick. I'm not one to get a senior guy rerouted for my convenience.

I will defend a pilots right to exercise his contract to the hilt. I will also not allow a fellow pilot to cost me money while abusing that contract. Remember the 1000 pilots we had on "disability" just prior to bankruptcy? Where's my LTD benefit now? My sick leave policy used to be a lot better. Management was able to make a very convincing 1113 argument that sick leave was being abused. Guess what, when the policy was degraded down to 240 hours and 75% pay after a rolling 3 year usage, data supported their point of view. Sick leave usage on the south side fell by approximately 25%. I want my old sick leave back (I'm getting old and hurt more). It will be tough when management has the data to support their position, and people like Captain Courageous draw a direct causal line between commuting policy and sick leave use.

But I guess if your morals find that ok, even if it's not within the intent of said contract...well then you're fine with it. OK...got it!

 

I agree with Carl, sick leave is ours to use as we see fit.

If we need to use it because the company will not make commuting easy, then that is where it will be used. If the company makes a few changes that cost nothing(10 1/2 day out jumpseat booking time) they will find they make money with less sick calls. It's a win win.

 

The company is looking for ways to save/make money and since raising ticket prices is not an option, employee benefits is the next source. I believe you would have lost that even if the sick policy was never abused.

If the company actually cared about employees then we would not need a union or contracts.

 

How about giving folks commuting TO (and FROM?) work a higher priority if they have to NRSA? S1B or S1C or something like that

 

We rent seats, everything else is an expense to make those seats available to rent. We all say ticket prices should be higher, unless of course we're buying , and they are. Instead of ticket prices rising across the board the all inclusive tickets have risen (i.e. being able to check bags). As far as change fees, that costs you and I money and their fees, and I've paid many of them, are reasonable. To me its no different then a hotel charging you if you if you cancel within 24 hours because you kept them from selling that room to someone else.

I do wish we would lower the cost of refundable tickets, I'd think we'd have more buyers of those tickets.