Reducing redundancy is increasing costs? Seems more like protecting somebodies fiefdom when we could have an improved product and a bigger piece of the pie elsewhere.


http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/reso...SpeedWagon.jpg

Love the picture but most of our instructors are either F/O's or retired guys and our LCA's are line pilots. The increased costs using LCA's would be significant and I don't think using f/o's and retired guys for OE's and Line Checks would go over very well. No fiefdom to protect just don't see any benefits to your proposal.

OK, thought most SLI Instructors were A's

Actually I think the costs would go down with an integrated training system and the training would be more effective and efficient. The overall numbers of instructors would go down.

LCA's make no extra money when they are not doing training so I disagree on the cost side (if it was cheaper DL would have already been doing it). As for the effective and efficient that has been debated for as long as I've been at DL

Heyas,

I'm all for bringing the IP jobs back to line pilots.

For every IP doing training, you have to hire a guy to replace him. This equals more pilots, which is good.

At any one time, NWA had about 350 instructors of all stripes...CA/FO/SO. These guys did all training in a motion device and all checking events (except the SV, which was electronic), as well as LCA functions. It was also required that a line pilot, IP or otherwise, peform seat support (also good).

Most, if not all IPs, worked 6 months in the box and 6 on the line, broken up into different blocks. A lot did 2in/2out, but it varied. The crux was that in any given month, you probably had around 150 guys off line, which is a drop in the bucket if you're worried about costs (which, last time I checked, was a management job).

But anyway, you guys hopeful of waves of hiring are delusional. Airframes will continue to attrit out of the fleet, pilots will continue to retire and my guess is that you won't see any hiring other than to cover the absolute baseline. Any aircraft orders will be strictly on a replacement basis, and it won't be 1:1.

Any hopes of waves of retirements is also delusional. You guys, of all people, should know that pilots LOVE to say one thing, but do something else. When it comes time for guys to sign on the line, grab their crap, and walk out the door, you can better believe most will NOT do it. They have too good a deal going, and they know it.

If you took the two lists the day after the merger announcement, and added them together, how many pilots is that? How many do we have now?

More, or less? That is the measure of how well we're doing. Anything else is fluff and cover. My bet is that number will only go down.

Nu

We could probably cut the numbers in 1/2, so you would either be in the sim or giving OE and line checks. If it was cheaper, the red tail did do it:)

Not if they are all at Capt rates and I seriously doubt the 1/2 number

By the time you delete all of the extraneous admin overhead that goes with it, I bet Ice is pretty close.


Nu

Does anybody know how often you can change who you designate as your "travel companion"? I have 2 people I want to share the benefit with and was wondering how frequently I can switch them back and forth? I'm guessing once per year. Anyone know for sure?

Thanks!!