".........................”

 

So your negotiating stance is: we don't want mandatory seat locks anymore. So give us extra vacation and voluntary seat locks? This is a joke, right?

 

I don’t really want to play the cranky old man telling people to pay their dues, but...wasting negotiating capital to get rid of new hire seat locks is absurd. Fix the AE side of the problem. A 1-year/2-year seat lock is fine

 

The AE system needs significant reform. However the new hire freeze was a give away a few years ago in order to allow the tripple dipper buddy bidder "good deal" for a very few. Even if one is in favor of that sea lawyer trickery, it was still paid for by adding a new hire freeze where there was none previously.

 

I get that concessions were made but where is the “this was for that” horse trading sheet because I have a way worse QOL and trip quality/variety. I need to know what/who to blame. I’m looking at you, COMMUTERS!

Problem is... it just doesn’t work that way.

 

Living in base is a choice.

 

So you agree with the company bypassing seniority? Because it's basically what happens and it will continue to happen to almost every pilot hired from now on.

It's very possible that I could be stuck on an airplane in a base that I don't want for almost 3 years depending how the AEs are released. All the while some brand new pilot is where I want to be. Will it happen? Probably not the way hiring is right now but you never know.

It's even worse when you consider the pay rate difference between aircraft second year. You could be forced on the 220 NYC and the next week a pilot junior to you could get the 7ER making $40 more an hour in a base you live in.

And don't talk about paying dues, some of us spent a decade and a half stuck at the regionals getting downgraded, bases closed, displaced, whipsawed, etc. We were in the only period in history where the majors didn't hire for almost 10 years.

 

How about, the seat lock only applies to lateral or downgrades. Any upgrade to a higher paying seat is not locked, like United.

 

Please explain how it’s possible to be stuck in a base for 3 years.

 

They (2 pilots and HR Rep) review this along with other paperwork, an hour before you do your HR portion of the interview. It does nothing for your actual “point scoring” for the email invite for the interview

Simply put, your whole application is looked at including AirlineApps letter of recommendations “only” at the HR portion on the interview. Like someone else said, it may be a determining factor if they (2 pilots and HR rep) are on the fence.