They had no trouble getting pilots to do GS's at time and half. The pay was changed to back to double pay as one of the improvements in the Joint Contract. As a practical matter there was very little time available to greenslip because of the reductions in flying. The exception was the summer of 08. Pilot tend to follow the manning levels. When they are high they jump on the open time and WS. When it gets low WS's drop off and GS's pick up. Inverse assignements still paid double and there were very few during the time period where you only got 1.5 for a GS. There would have been lots of IA's if the company was having trouble covering the flying.

It is in the PWA.

Section 3. I

If we are under a 2.5 billion dollar operating profit it is about 4% of your W2.

When looking at the rotation that you printed at report, it is the duty that is the farthest right. The left one is planned actual and the one to the right of that is the max given our max duty day matrix. Contractually you can must go two hrs over the number to the right. That first two hrs requires no calls and if something that can be done without your consent. (Max 15 for domestic ops) It gets screwy internationally or on augmented crews but we can save that for another day.

Yep PWA is more restrictive.

That is the max based on the agreed upon duty day matrix.

Of course they assume that, that is what works for them,and what is your FAR max, not PWA max. The PWA protections are there for you to use. You as a pilot have the right to invoke them or to go up to the FAR max for your given situation. (16 or starting compensatory within 24 hrs of starting a reduced rest period)

GSWC is the cherry. Say you have a four day starting on Monday, but sked NEEDS to cover a two day on Sunday. You would get paid GS pay for the two day that you actually flew plus get your conflicted four day dropped WITH PAY. In additon you are free to Ws or GS over the days that get dropped. Very rare but a big moneymaker.

Edit: It is only single pay for the GS rotation. Thanks to Denny Crane for correct contract reference.

As a DS guy, I'm not either.

It is rather simple if you read it in the PWA. Also it is automated and put right on your paring so in reality there is no need to understand it. Right number is what you can fly to, plus two hrs. Left number is actual if flown on time.

Whitlow is figured out on the top of the Preface that the gate agent gives you. It sometimes does not take in to account SC pilots on domestic duty. Most of the time it does.

Rebounding Airline Industry?
 

The airline industry is often viewed as being more risky than other types of companies in the service sector. The cyclical nature and high operating costs of the industry, in addition to the dependence on a strong economy, has caused the industry to be one of turbulence and volatility. Furthermore, following an economic downturn, typically there is a six-month lag before the airlines begin to recover.
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IN PICTURES: 8 Financial Tips For Young Adults

Demand Elasticity

The demand for airline travel is significantly more elastic than the corresponding figures for other services. According to a study performed by Houthakker and Taylor, a 1%drop in income results in a 5.82% decline in airline travel spending, the highest on the list. The respective declines for movies and restaurant meal spending associated with a 1% income reduction are 3.41% and 1.61%, respectively.

If Unemployment Decreases

Although unemployment remains at a shocking 9.6%, average income and expenditures have slowly been increasing in recent months. A reversal of employment figures to pre-recession levels of approximately 5% would benefit the airline industry to a greater extent than other sectors. Due to the high demand elasticity of airline travel, a 1% rise in income would increase demand by 5.82%, while food and clothing purchases would increase by 0.14% and 0.51%, respectively.

Strong Performance

Strong earnings reports within the industry have shed some light on the airlines, which undoubtedly struggled during the recession. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) recently reported a $112 million profit, an increase from $91 million in the year-earlier period, as passenger revenue outpaced unit costs. Delta (NYSE: DAL), UAL Corp. (Nasdaq: UAUA), Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and US Airways (NYSE: LCC) also showed fairly strong performances last quarter.

As a potential indicator of future performance, Boeing (NYSE: BA), which delivered 114 planes in the preceding quarter, is expecting to increase its 737 production rate to 35 units per month in 2012.

Southwest Airlines is valued highly, trading at 44 times earnings. The high valuation is due to the higher-than-industry-average company growth rate and solid liquidity ratios. Other regional airlines, such as JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), trade at lower P/E ratios but have higher leverage ratios. Southwest also operates with a higher efficiency level as its return on assets, investment and equity are higher than those of its competitors.

More Risks

Delta remains the largest major airline until the merger between UAL and Continental Airlines is complete. The major airlines operate at fairly slim margins, which has been much of the cause of industry criticism. Delta and US Airways, for example, have an operating margin of 3.38% and 3.42% respectively, while firms in other industries such as McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) operate with a corresponding metric of 30.87%. Obviously these are entirely different industries, but the gap in margins reflects the high risk of investing in the airlines. (Break through the clouds to see if these stocks will rocket higher or crash and burn. To learn more about the airline industry, see Is That Airline Ready For Lift-Off?)

Bottom Line

Risk-averse investors who don't mind portfolio volatility and expect the airline industry to prosper in upcoming years could find the industry attractive as traveling passengers resume their habits. According to IATA, passenger demand is currently up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis.



By Arthur Pinkasovitch

LL,

To further clarify the GS situation, your interpretation of number 2 above is correct, but incomplete. If you ever find yourself short of the GS trigger and subsequently get a GS, be sure to take up to 5 hours from your bank and apply it to your monthly credit. Yes, you are allowed to go negative in your bank to do this.

If you did that for your situation above you would have 70 hours of credit, 5 hours of single pay GS getting you to the GS, and trigger and 15 hours of 2.0 GS pay.

Note - 5 hours is the maximum that can be applied to fill-up to the GS trigger, which makes the GS trigger 70 hours for all practical purposes.

Also, if in the above example say after you did your 5 hour bank withdrawal you pick up a white-slip for 15 hours - your bank withdrawal will automatically be lowered to get you exactly to a full month with no more.

I went through this exact scenario this month. I went negative 5 in the bank, but then picked up a WS. My bank withdrawal was automatically lowered from 5 to around 2 which put me at exactly 82 hours and the whole GS was 2.0 pay. :)

Scoop

Thanks NewK! I'm going to sit out on my deck and drink mint juleps in the "liquid sunshine" during the winter!!:D

Denny

Yes Carl that is exactly what it means. The is really no advantage above anything else other than you get paid for both trips. Say you have a 4 day trip on your line and you get a 2 day GSWC that goes into the first day of your 4 day. You fly the 2 day and get paid for both trips. Your 4 day now goes into open time and, if the company is still short of pilots, it will go out as another GS, GSWC, IA, or IAWC.

When we had the "Express" operation down in MCO, I think guys were not bidding GS's but were bidding GSWC,s. It kept the pot turning and they made alot of money. At least this is what I heard. It's great in theory but almost everyone has to do it to get it to work.

Denny