I'll bite.
For me this issue is less about the RAH DCI flying and more about enforcing existing language in our contract.

Our contract is interesting in that it specifies only Delta pilots can perform delta flying. Then there are subsections of Section 1 that open holes in the very strong scope clause we have. A hole for RJs, a hole for AFKLM, a hole for AS and so on.
It's in one of these subsections that we permit RJs, but try to keep it buttoned up by having language that restricts RJ operators from flying bigger equipment. The PWA authors didn't wan't Delta sending small jet flying to another airline if they also had bigger jets.
The slippery slope is the bad precedent we set when we permit certain sections of our contract to be bent or overridden or re-interpreted. Our contract already has enough bonafide holes in it. Not enforcing sections for any reason makes it even worse.

As for Alaska, I'm particularly unhappy about the Section 1 and the Alaska EMA. Unfortunately there is specific language in our contract that explicitly permits that operation. To get that flying back we would have to rewrite that section and that would probably come with the phrase "what are you willing to give up."

In regards to RAH, with the election for the IBT the conflict of interest for ALPA has been removed in regards to the Midwest pilots. RAH has realized their issue and is trying to spin off Frontier 2 years after buying the operation.*

• The language is there.
• RAH is flying the Baby Airbus.
• A federal agency has findings to support it.
• Its our contract, lets make sure its followed.

If Delta needs that section written in a way to permit this type of operation, they can ask us what we would like them to "give up" in exchange. ;-)

Cheers
George

* I'm not sure I buy the ALPA conflict of interest spin. Continental successfully fought and won their grievance for Continental putting the CO code on United Express 70 seat RJs out of Houston in direct violation of their 50-seat RJ limit. Some of the UAX carriers flying CRJ-700s are ALPA carriers.

 

Or said another way:

So a 3rd year DAL MD-88 FO on reserve can expect about $80,000 for a W-2, 50% less than the equivalent (future) fAirTran FO.

 

Just pulled back into the chocks early this morning. Let me condense it and filter it for the board.

 

George,

Thanks for your post.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Express pilot

We had a SW 07 hire FO on our jumpseat yesterday. His W2 was 160,000 last yr with 15-16 days off a month. Around 850 hrs of flight time pay. The key is flight time pay. He showed us a 4 day trip that he just finished with 21 hrs of flying but 29 hrs of pay. This is the norm. A min 3 day pay credit is around 20 for 15-16 hrs of flight time. He said he could make more but being a commuter you know how it is




Elvis,

I wouldn't put too much weight to specific W-2 assertions on this thread. A few days back a post mentioned a 5 yr SWA FO who said his W-2 was $145,000. It is very hard to make specific comparisons between DAL and SWA but it should be clear to everyone including DALPA - Our compensation is poor and needs to increase.


Scoop

 

Got a letter for using the commute policy. Word I got was 1st and 2nd offense you get a letter, 3rd you lose the privilege for a year.

Apparently it doesn't matter how many flights you attempted to use before you called in for pos space; you're still going to get a letter telling you in so many words to plan ahead and be responsible. Doesn't matter if a couple of the flights you had planned on using were canceled; you still get a strike for using the policy.

Call me naive, but I thought the policy was to help reduce the stress of commuting. Guess one needs to still plan on coming in 8 hours or so before their day starts.

They put a policy out there and then you get a letter for using it one time. Way to stress a guy for actually using the policy.

 

What's hard to compare? You make X amount in your W-2 and work X number of days. An SWA pilot makes X amount in his W-2 and works X number of days. As long as the SWA pilot is not working a significantly higher number of days than you are (which it sounds like they're actually working less), it seems to me that the W-2 is extremely relevant.

 

Be careful out there. A few weeks ago, I had a scheduling supervisor rip me apart on the phone, dock my pay, and try to get me in all kinds of trouble over something that would have been a non-event up until recently. Scheduling these days seems to be taking a very "we're trying to find any way we can to nail you on a technicality" approach to dealing with us. I'm really thankful for a great Chief Pilot with common sense. But FYI... be very careful with commuting and with deviating from deadhead.

 

Doing this is going to bite them in the butt.

 

My point was that individual Pilots at both companies can be way above and below the norm. What if you take a DAL Pilot who does a few Green-slips a year. He doesn't work a lot of days, and his pay might make it look like we are all well compensated - which I don't believe we are.

I don't care what a SW pilot claims to make while riding the jumpseat. I just want a big pay increase. I do believe that we are currently under compensated.

Scoop