I think he is referring to further future "enhancements" that are going to be implemented around May. Basically there will be SC buckets (0-2, 3-5, +5). SC's will be assigned using YS requests for SC from the 0-2 bucket first in seniority order. After that, SC will be assigned from the 0-2 bucket using pilots not requesting SC in inverse seniority order. Obviously from there it will jump to the next bucket

I honestly have no problem with this system, in fact, in principle I welcome it. Some reasoning behind SC assignment was needed. However, my fear is that scheduling will now be forced to use pilots on their last day of availability. In my category this almost never happens and as a commuter (and I would think for a local guy) being done at noon is a great benefit.

If you're a junior pilot in category and commute, your life is getting ready to take a turn for the worst IMO with the new changes. I saw nothing wrong with the old system. At the very least, I think the 0-80 raw bucket is too large. Raw means virtually nothing now and we just assured all but the top 10% of reserves will be either flying or sitting SC all month. A junior guy will be working all the time until reaching 3 SC's and 35 hrs credit which will take at a minimum 10 days but realistically 12-14....a lot more in an intl category with 24 hr SC.

Actually, it's a common misconception that Texas does not have mountains...I had the same misconception. The Guadalupe Mountain National Park is along the border with Mexico. Flew over it many times while flying the B-1. Guadalupe Peak is 8,749 ft in elevation, where most of the terrain down there is 3,000 feet or less. Also, look up Big Bend National Park.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Big Bend National Park - What's so special about Big Bend? (U.S. National Park Service)

http://www.adventure-crew.com/wp-con.../guadalupe.jpg

Also, in terms of population density, Texas is about average with 98 people per square mile compared to 88 people per square mile nationally. New England is the most dense while Wyoming and Alaska are the least.

And West Texas where I live has much lower population densities.

Then I'm moving to Alaska and Wyoming.

For our entertainment purposes:



It's in a different language but that's okay, it requires no explanation in any culture or language.

SWA earnings slipped by 43% (still beat estimates and the stock is going up). However, anyone think their run of advantages is coming to an end? I don't see ours dropping that much, although I have no doubt some of our profit comes at the expense of pilot stagnation due to outsourcing.

The problem with the Northeast is the overall high total tax burden and lack of liberty freedoms EXCEPT for New Hampshire. New Hampshire is near the top of the list of states for both freedoms and low taxes ... a huge surprise and plus in my opinion.

For over a decade, I spent lots of time in NJ and PA due to my military work and being NYC based. The property taxes alone are crazy. In a rural area of PA I was considering buying a home. But I absolutely refused to write a check for $900+ a month in property taxes to the local township. Had I financed the home, the taxes would have been higher than the mortgage payment. Absolutely crazy. Maybe I am out of touch. But I've lived in other states with property taxes a fraction of that and the community services were much superior. Now, through in that some of the highest insurance rates are in NJ,NY,PA etc.... :eek:

The northeast, except NH, is a ripoff. I'd gladly live in a flyover state and keep my money.

Flamebait?

Everyone's earnings are going to slip due to high fuel costs. But yes, Southwest's competitive advantage is gone because their lucrative hedges for which nobody at that time had, are gone. Now they are hedged the same as everyone else.

Also, their costs are higher, much higher now. In fact, according to their own CEOs memo, their cost structure is a disadvantage to that of DAL and UAL.

Southwest is a strong company who will continue to do well unless they get undercut the same way Southwest undercut the industry in the 90s and 00s.

You can call it flamebait if you want, but since this thread is about Delta, the plague pilots (THAT is flamebait :D) would have to be trolling and open fire... More to the point though, I think everything he said is spot on.. but it is nothing that anybody that has been paying attention didn't know.

Many people do not know because they refuse to pay attention.

I sometimes like to remind Texans that if you cut the state of Alaska in half, then Texas would be the third largest state :D[/QUOTE]


Nice! I want a T shirt like that.

I was an Air Force brat, born at Mather AFB, in Sacremento, Cali, then we moved to Texas when I was about 3, then up to Alaska when I was 5, then back to Tex-ass when I was 6, then up to New Hampshire when I was 7, where I stayed for the next 30 years, graduated from UNH and flew for the NH ANG. The bastards sent me back to Texas for UPT!! After suffering for a year in Del Rio, I swore I'd never (willingly) go back to Texas.

When first hired by DL I was based in MIA for 2 years, then went back up to BOS until DL closed it in 1996, we then moved back to FL. So I've pretty much got the 4 corners coverd, of them I would prefer to live 1. NH, 2. Pacific NW or Alaska, 3. Florida, 4. San Diego, then...kill me first, Texas. :D

Guys are making a lot of assumptions that tend to contradict each other. On one hand guys are complaining that the senior pilot will have a better chance of filling up and then the next guy complains that the junior pilot will be working every day.. Which is it?

Everybody has different wants and needs when it comes to reserve which tends to balance these things out. The pilot who commutes to JFK wants to fly and not sit in a crash pad although he is senior. Pilot B who is senior wants to bang out his short calls early etc

When reserve staffing levels eventually drop to where they were projected, it will tend not to matter so much anyway (except to make it more clear as to why you got what you got) as everyone's utilization will go up and for the most part you will be just picking your poison.

Up until LOA 46, we have always had seniority in our reserve system and it was a major concession when we gave that away. As a junior reserve, I never complained about losing a trip to a senior pilot as I felt it was his right.. With the RAW score on the other hand, it drove me crazy to see a pilot get a trip I desired only because he had a one point difference in RAW score. Now we are complaining because within in certain limitations, a senior pilot gets his choice?

Another thing to consider, reserve went much more senior this month which allowed more junior pilots to get a line.

When it comes down to your last day of availability and SC, it should not make you any more likely to sit SC approaching and X day anymore than it does now. Schedulers are still going to use multi day pilots on SC all things being equal.. But even then, if the senior guy was able to get his short calls out of the way to not have one approaching an X day, is that a problem? Oh yeah, that can't happen because only junior pilots are going to get short calls (tic)