Thanks. I guess I should crack a book now and again.

It's been over 4 years since I've been there so the hotel and prices may have changed. I rented a mask and snorkel from the hotel ($5), walked to the moped rental and rented a moped for the day ($20). These places offered a crew discount at the time. We drove the mopeds around the Island for the entire day stopping to snorkel in the grotto. We also went to Banzai Cliff, Suicide Cliff, saw Bird Island, and even found a few caves. To this day it's been my coolest layover. Wear sunscreen if you do this, and have fun.

Exactly. Delta takes care of Delta first. Never forget it. If you are a junior reserve, tell them what you're doing and try to minimize operational disruption, but spending any more time with them than you would on a sick call is a mistake.

Delta's "family" depends on who happens to be on duty and what their personal inclinations are.

That's great. My wife would know just where to find that if our kid was in intensive care. (guess I'll program it into her phone now)

Everyone will be running around in shorts and t-shirts! :D

Buzz...Just said a prayer for you and your family. Hope all goes well!

Good Luck with your mother in law Buzz.

I'm not sure about that. I was on a trip when my wife ended up in ICU. I was in GRU at the time and was immediately called as soon as the company found out. (Incidentally, it was a DCI pilot my MIL knew who called the Delta duty pilot to let the company know.) They notified the outbound crew to wait for me, got me on the first flight to ATL, and booked me PS on a DCI flight to go home. I was met in ATL by some fellow DL pilot friends who accompanied me home and the CP office was very accommodating with regards to my schedule. I can't say enough about all the people who helped, the crew home, the station people in GRU who got a phone for me to call the US, and the CP office. It was also the same when my father passed away a few years ago.

How airline labor policies affect all fliers -- and the nation - USATODAY.com

How airline labor policies affect all fliers

In recent weeks much has been written on this site and elsewhere about the November 29th bankruptcy filing by American Airlines.


Behind the Screen
By Bill McGee

By Bryon Totty, American Airlines
A mechanic examines the wiring bundles in the wheel well of an American Airlines MD80 at the Tulsa maintenance base.
By Bryon Totty, American Airlines
A mechanic examines the wiring bundles in the wheel well of an American
FAA aircraft training nationwide
But while nearly all travelers know that American has joined every other U.S. legacy carrier by filing for Chapter 11, many may not realize the nation's last major domestic airline maintenance facilities are one step closer to extinction. For years, American has been bucking an industry trend by continuing to perform nearly all aircraft maintenance in-house. But now all that could change.
A quiet watershed*
In 2011, I wrote about the trend of airline maintenance outsourcing and the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of such work. In the decade since 9/11, there's been a dramatic upsurge in farming out aircraft maintenance, sometimes to third-party facilities here in the U.S., and often overseas to China, Singapore, El Salvador, Mexico and other countries.
Previously I addressed this topic strictly as a passenger safety issue, not as a labor issue. But the full truth is that all passengers are affected by airline labor practices—in fact, the way in which airline employees are treated directly affects safety, security, and every aspect of customer service.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, by the spring of 2011 there were 159,051 fewer full-time employees in the U.S. airline industry than there were in the spring of 2001, a 25% decrease. Of course, even these numbers don't begin to tell the story. Tens of thousands of full-time workers have been laid off since the 1980s, and thousands of others have endured pay cuts, benefit cuts and reduced hours (meanwhile, the AFL-CIO reported the salaries for the CEOs of the nation's top ten airlines in 2010 ranged from $1.2 million to $8.4 million, which translated into 36 times to 252 times the sum of $33,190, the median salary for domestic airline workers).
For those of us lucky enough to have worked in the airline industry more than 20 years ago, there's no comparison to today. Airline workers in 2012—even those with full-time employment and benefits—live under the constant threat of mergers, cutbacks, downsizing and layoffs. And the trend lines keep getting worse.
For airline passengers, this isn't just an academic argument about the 1%. The seismic changes that have overtaken the industry affect every aspect of the customer experience. Downsizing and outsourcing are why the airline labor force has become increasingly transient and unskilled, as third-party part-time employees wear the uniforms of contracted airlines but are not given the requisite training. It's why there's such an informational vacuum when there are flight delays and cancellations and service disruptions. It's why planes are repaired by unlicensed mechanics in developing nations.
The last bastion*
In recent years, bankruptcy reorganization has allowed airlines to void existing labor contracts and secure court-sanctioned employee concessions. Little wonder that American stated upon its filing: "We must address our cost structure, including labor costs, to enable us to capitalize on the foundational strengths we have put in place and secure our future."
A Q&A on Chapter 11 at American's site includes this:
"Will American Airlines continue to operate its Maintenance Bases in Tulsa, Fort Worth (Alliance), and DFW Airport? Safety remains our top priority, and we will maintain our planes as always. In the coming months, we will be evaluating all of our facilities to ensure that they are providing our fleet with world-class maintenance that is competitive and cost efficient." A spokesman for American says there has been no determination on the status of the Tulsa base, and no timetable for an announcement.
But mechanics at American expect an uphill battle. James Little, president of the Transport Workers Union, recently stated: "Other bankruptcies in the airline industry have seen aircraft overhaul and other repair work sent to less secure, poorly regulated maintenance facilities in third world countries. We will do everything in our power to maintain quality and safety for this airline and its passengers, while protecting the interests of our members."
An up-close view*
Last June I traveled to Tulsa while researching my upcoming book about the airline industry (Attention All Passengers, to be published by HarperCollins in May). Thanks to a joint invitation from the company and the TWU, I visited the American Airlines Maintenance & Engineering Base, the largest private employer in Oklahoma.
Even two days wasn't enough to see all 330 acres of the former World War II B-24 complex, home to 6,400 employees, including 4,700 FAA-licensed mechanics. According to American, more than 85% of its fleet of 619 aircraft is overhauled there.
But the stats don't tell the whole story. The Tulsa facility truly must be seen to be appreciated. It's the type of place that used to define America: skilled workers producing a quality product at a living wage. And now it's all in jeopardy. I've spoken to several American mechanics in recent weeks, and one summed it up: "We're going to take some casualties."
Back in June, one mechanic half-jokingly told me he prayed for CEO Gerard Arpey's health, since it was widely known that the head of American felt strongly about keeping maintenance in-house, even as all his domestic competitors had outsourced. But the November bankruptcy filing included Arpey's retirement, and what new CEO Thomas Horton will decide remains to be seen.
Right now the fate of the American Airlines maintenance base in Tulsa is receiving little attention outside of Oklahoma. But this is far from a parochial issue. By the time the nation truly focuses on outsourcing aircraft maintenance and shipping skilled jobs to unlicensed workers in China and El Salvador, the airline industry—and even the United States itself—could be significantly weaker.

Anyone else having trouble submitting their bids into PBS? I can log in fine and get to the 1st page where I select "ADD", then it logs me out when I hit "ADD".

Got a new computer for Christmas, so not sure if that's the problem. Thanks

Just did my FEB bid. No problems.