At least on the 88, Scheduling is rerouting get you off 30 layovers to cover more flying. Just a heads-up if you really like that long DSM or CHA, etc. The summer will be interesting.

 

The 717 is the same, IDK if the significant % of reroutes has leaked to the other narrow bodies yet. I quit bidding a line since other than specific days off there didn't seem to be an advantage to holding a line when crew tracking is fairly likely to RR you into something completely different than what you bid.

If that's not bad enough, every damn RR is a fight over pay. I am not exaggerating when I say I've never been properly paid for a RR and have had to contact the company and/or ALPA every single time. They do the same thing with PB days, although at least here they're batting about .500. I regularly have to call CS since they often don't add any, or add insufficient PB days to my line/bank. The cynical side of me says they must learn this in training, deny deny deny and only a % of us will follow-up thus a net win for the company. The less cynical side says CS is short manned as well and there's a lot of training going on. Either way, it's us who are hurt if we don't know the contract or don't follow-up.

 

Mike,

Not meant to sound confrontational or antagonistic, but you need to spend a few hours on the 4th floor with a 717 scheduler/supervisor. (I know, the last thing anyone wants to do on a day off is go to "the office".)

Each time I get a call from them I tell them that I/we "feel their pain". It is completely out of their control and the burden the company places on these scheduler's to "complete the mission" is astronomical with what tools they have available to them.

Again, not making excuses for you not getting the proper RR pay or due number of PB days, just saying it's at a much higher level than the 717-scheduling-desk.

Cheers.

 

Are these reroutes happening in flight, via ACARS, or via phone call? As far as I know there is no obligation to answer your phone while on a layover, is there?

Before ACARS existed, the company was known to have the gate agent meet the inbound crew with a reroute message in hand, to deliver to them on arrival, especially when they were short of Flight Engineers, they would try to hand him an assignment for the next day. Some engineers would drop the aft air stairs (727) and leave the aircraft via the back, rather than get tagged by the agent for another trip.

 

I always found the mustache nose glasses and civvies let me walk right by.

 

My crash pad landlord retired last year as a Delta Pilot Scheduler. She laid it clearly (after 45 yrs with NWA/Delta) -- the schedulers are overworked, underpaid and grossly under trained. I see mistakes all the time, most are pure ignorance of the contract. It appears like spiteful, intentional moves on your schedule, but I'd suggest you not put an "Sleepin with Ed" hat on every scheduler. Your blood pressure will thank you. But if you don't know the contract and stand up for yourself you WILL get screwed. Some of the things I've seen and called about have been ridiculous, but when I've called its never seemed like they were truly out yo get me. In most case, it was pure ignorance and poor training.

 

Crash pad landlord? I guess he wasn't doing too bad

 

Not taken as antagonistic or confrontational so no worries. If you reread my post, I was very careful to not demean any individual in scheduling or the scheduling shop itself. Management has kept them either understaffed or improperly trained. They are usually good at the PB days after I point out the error, the lack of RR pay has me befuddled as I think it's a pretty open and shut case. To once again reiterate what I said in my 1st post and what many others have said, if you don't know the contract and don't stand up for yourself the only one who loses is you.

 

The scheduler who handled all RR pay now works for ALPA. I am not sure if they even replaced him. I think they just rotate guys into the desk.