When one lives in base and is kicked out or their base closes (MEM maybe CVG) how long do they have til they should have sold their house (even if at a loss) and moved to their new base? Are we talking days, weeks or months?

 

It appears that point is when you get your seniority number...

 

SLOW ???? What, Humor ??? What's next, dogs and cats living together ??? JK

Happy New Year to all the bubbas, and bubbettes ,
BG

 

Evidently, Pineapple Guy is the only one who can answer your question!!!

 

It's about balance. There needs to be a middle ground. Whether you like it or not, this airline is roughly a 50/50 split on commuters/non commuters. Don't tell me commuting is always a choice. There are over 10,500 active pilots at this airline, & you have no idea what each and every commuter's individual circumstances are. To tell me that commuting is a choice is like me telling you that a displacement to a lower paying seat is a choice, or having your pension frozen was your choice.

This company is constantly changing things that effect all of us, some in more negative ways then others. Many pilots chose to move to base, only to have their base closed(MEM) or be displaced to a different base. Now what do they do? Who will cover the loss on their house due to the poor housing market? What about someone who just bought a house in ATL only to be displaced to NYC? Are they not supposed to commute? Or how about the guys who have enough seniority to hold a line on the DC-9, but will be too junior on other equipment to do so? Should a guy who moved to MSP and won't be able to hold anything in MSP once the DC9's are parked not commute?

Just because staying on lower paying equipment got you better QOL doesn't mean it will for other people. Everyone's situation is different, & it's pure arrogance to assume that everyone who commutes is doing it by choice. I want better scope, pay, retirement, trips, etc for every Delta pilot. Commuter or non commuter. It's no wonder this job continues to tank. There is just no unity. It's always 'me, me, me'.

 

Forgot your coffee this morning J29?

I agree wholeheartedly, that if someone comes on this board or any other forum and states "commuting is a choice" they have yet to have a house under-water, family issue, base closure, or some other uncontrollable circumstance now causing said person to become a commuter. How many MEM based pilots will be a first time commuter, or return-commuter after many years of driving to work? (But it's a choice for the MEM based guys, right?)

Put as simply as possible: (Hopefully PG is reading this.)

Family/Community/Housing/etc. NECESSITIES dictate the DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

Decision making then drives which option we choose! Option A, B, or any other contingency.

The option we have chosen is then the "choice" we've made while taking into account all other external/internal factors in the "decision making process", based on external/internal "necessities".

To say alone that "commuting is a choice" is one of the most ignorant comments I've ever heard on this forum. It's like telling someone that "dressing themselves in the morning" is a choice, or "wearing our uniform to work" is a choice.

Good day all, and a Happy New Year.

GJ

 

I looked at my post and decided I'd better go get some!
And good post. I agree with you.

 

Well duhhhhhhhhh, everyone KNOWS that you moved to base so you could have the early departures, late arrivals and turns

Seriously, as Johnso said all we want is some balance and a recognition from the company that commuters save them big $$$ and provide operational flexibility. IE they can move flying around and commuters will just follow it vs having to pay for moves (and I would argue time off to make that move) like the military or any other major corporation.

The company can't have it both ways. They can't "make" more and more commuters by closing bases and moving flying around while they remain a commuter unfriendly company.

As was said, all we are looking for is balance. Honestly, I agree with your post.....we all make choices and need to live with them. I just did something I said I would never do....commute and chase money. I just went from 20% on an LAX ER to 65% on an SEA 330

Ferd

 

24 Months per the PWA

 

This whole commuter vs. non-commuter issue is troubling.

First off - all pilots should realize that the more we support others, the more they will support us. How does the junior pilot who lives in base, and is not willing to support commuters, feel about the senior WB commuting pilot who does not care about scope?

Secondly, the only winner when pilots start pursuing parochial interests is management via decreased pilot clout. Think how much more effective we can be as a pilot group if we would all be willing to sacrifice a little bit of our interests to the greater good of the pilot group as a whole. I think we would all be better off. I think we would find our particular interests that we thought we were compromising on, would actually do quite well.

Before any of the anti-DPA crowd jump in and misinterpret this as a slam on the DPA, that is not what I am talking about. Competition for representation is good, and if anything in response to the DPA, DALPA has recently upped its game. Blind allegiance to anything is probably not good.

Although the fault for this condition, apparent lack of solidarity, lies primarily with all of us as individual Pilots, perhaps DALPA could do a better job explaining why we all need to support each other. Specifically: Senior Pilots should be concerned about Scope, non-commuters should be concerned about commuting policies, young pilots should be concerned about retirement, healthy pilots should be concerned about disability and sick leave policies. Not for altruistic reasons but for our own self interest.

In my opinion we will all fare better in areas that we are intimately concerned with if we would be more willing to support others in areas that may not appear to directly affect us. Think of the whole "synergy" thing.

Scoop