I wonder, how about just FedEx rates with caps on flying but better credit rules and increase reserve min to 75.

FedEx narrowbody pay nearly equals SWA pay but of course they also have WB pay scales. They're not restoration but make it up in credit, take it from 5.15 to 6.30 but cap the flying. Just throwing that out, I'm not going to run the macroeconomics spreadsheet on it but when it comes to the staffing formula screw with the credit and cap until you achieve no loss staffing.

Also, the trip parking. Any correlation to the MD's off the 777 which is the type of category likely to be playing the trip parking game?

From the conversations I've had on PM with SWA pilots I have to agree with contrails.

The $25K in one month salary I mentioned before again was this: "16 days reserve, about 86 hours flown, no vacation or silly business, over $25,000 flight pay only (not including 401k, profit sharing, blah blah blah.)"

For the math challenged like me, $25K/mo is $300K in a year. Above the average quoted to the FL pilots.

 

No correlation between MD's on the777 and trip parking. It is almost impossible to fill up because our trips are such high time that they all put you over the max.only way is to white slip and hope something comes up that fits. We just have too many pilots !

 

Excuse me if someone has already corrected you.

The reason they get productivity out of their pilots and the pilots get productivity out of their trips is 6.5 TFP/day.

What does ALV have to do with a guarateed furlough? I can't connect that logic.

Their trips have credit time built in just like some of our trips have credit time.

The "incredible" productivity isn't that "incredible". Their company runs efficiently. Productivity is a byproduct.

 

Finis;

Your statement contradicted itself.

Trip parking is what enables guys to exceed the pickup limit.

How can you whiteslip and hope something fits if all your trips are too high time.

My reality: Trip parking has enabled lineholders to regularly exceed 90 and 100 hours/month. This has resulted in lower reserve utilization which has resulted in beancounters counting 15 extra beans in each ATL 777 seat.

 

This is for Bar:

 

I agree, I think trip parking has a lot to do with it, but as they say, that is currently allowed, and it works for them........

 

While I totally disagree with trip parking and think DALPA should step in to attempt to ban the practice I don't think its the biggest issue on the 777. They are getting by with fewer reserves because many reserves yellow high the long trips waiving their days off. This eliminates the need for the company to carry extra reserves to cover long blocks. I have no problem with a reserve doing this. Its the intent of the contract that they are allowed this option. Its not the intent of the contract for a regular line holder to park trips and that practice can take money out of other pilots pockets.

 

Not trying to be mean, so I apologize if it came out that way. Your first sentence hit on what I was trying to say. You are used to a level of work. If it is 75.. 85... 90 hours a month, that has become comfortable for you. When the hourly rate goes up, I am willing to bet that that first month, you will NOT say.. 'hey, I am making 25% more, so I will work 25% less and make the same money..' but rather, you will bid the same line you did before, and when that bigger check comes in you will be more like 'wow.. look how much more I am making NOW' Then you are hooked. That will be the vast majority of guys out there. It is human nature.

SWA's compensation is too complicated for me to comment on. I really don't know how hard they really work for their money. If some of the rumors are true, they have a lot of credit time, so I don't know that they really work all that hard.. But I don't know, and I really don't care about them to an extent.

 

THis, and the fact that they are manning the (767ER-A category) reserves out of ATL. Look at reserve availability if you don't believe it. WE have not had more than 5 days all summer where available exceeded required in NY. Last time I looked, in Sept we had 6. ATL had 6 that DIDN'T exceed required. I'm fine with this, but if they want to man the airline this way, then drop/swap allowances need to be based on SYSTEM WIDE required/available rather than base specific... It needs to be part of the mythical manning formula. That and trip parking needs to be illegal.

 

If you have the first 12 or 15 days off for the month on a WB international category and you're at 78 hours with an ALV+15 of 89, you're very limited. You're stuck at 78 hours of pay.

For an FO thats about $140K a year, less than a MD88 A.

You trip park you could pick up a 30 hour trip and get a 108 hour line and you could make $60K more a year doing that. There is incredible incentive to trip park.

If it happens 35 times or so in a month then you've eliminated 15 pilots in a seat.

I can understand the frustration with pay, being that your average 765, 744, 777 FO has been here 17-20 years it'd be frustrating. I get it.

But 15 pilots are being displaced and I got a feeling trip parking has something to do with it but I'll concede that other factors as Sailing pointed out that might be in play in addition to trip parking.

But the proof would be if trip parking was made illegal, if staffing immediately increases on the international side then you know...