True - many would complain, but think about how many more Captain spots would be available.

I also Agree Reserve is much better. I don't like the ALV +15 part, but I also think it gets a disproportionate amount of attention. I would like to correct it, but first I would like to try to improve a lot of things that impact a much larger proportion of our Pilots.

Scoop

 

agreed. that is exactly what would happen. because that would be the economic reality.

the way is forward. with the (de?)-evolving pwa work rules we have fundamentally altered the role and behavior of a cba represented employee.

in large measure what we have become is akin to independent contractors operating within an employment contract framework.

think...'uber'.

in our present circumstance....economic reward is more based on the individuals motivations, priorities, and acumen at navigating the contract parameters.....instead of the historic norm of collective limitations set to insure uniformity of economic outcome.

Management clearly gets (and wanted/desires) this.......and the argument of if we want it or not is immaterial.....we have it.

the pwa imperative has always been to protect you from predatory management.....AND given the new paradigm....from the other 13,000 now predatory pilots on the property.

 

Indeed, thanks a lot! Your discussion should be dropped in every newbie's V file. I've heard about the good old days, but never got the skinny on just what was so good. Lots of folks here are just happy to have their "Major Airline" job, oblivious to how good it has been - and SHOULD be with the truly ridiculous level of profits they are part of generating.

 

I appreciate the fill-ins!

 

Bob brings up an excellent point that has been lost on this pilot group since bankruptcy. When I was a new hire we were often told that the contract served two purposes; to protect us from the company and to protect us from ourselves. We flew about 12 days a month for 75 hours and that paid the bills.

But the huge pay and retirement cuts we had forced on us in bankruptcy have turned us from enjoying our 18 days off every month, to a "How many greenslips can I get this month?" type mentality, because we are now trying to self fund our retirement plans and make up for the 42% pay cut by flying 90+ per month.

The company LOVES the extra productivity we are -voluntarily- giving them by working more by picking up trips in every vacation month, swapping way above the cap, picking up more time off the pilot to pilot swap board, etc.

Just that many fewer guys they have to upgrade to Captain and that many fewer guys they'll have to hire to fly the schedule.

We could try to fix all this extra overtime flying by changing the PBS scheduling rules; make a hard 75hr. ALV with a fixed cap every month, making vacation both pay AND credit, etc. but so many guys have become addicted to a 90+ hour month, plus green slips, you would hear a lot of screaming if we did, no doubt.

 

This thread alone has already opened my eyes. You may get a lot of screaming with these types of changes, but there are a ton of new folks coming on board who aren't addicted to anything just yet. They just need more information that ISN'T all about maximizing green slips or rolling thunder. We've got a great bunch who are willing to listen and learn.

The idea of a career full of 75 hour max months sounds amazing to me. Perhaps sharing those ideas with the spouses and kids at home would provide some needed pressure to back off the time card!

 

You can bid only 75 hours/month if you want. There is no minimum requirement. You can fly 50 if you want.

Anybody know what the revenue/.pilot was pre-PBS versus now? THAT would be an interesting number to see. Then compare that to the cost/pilot. Of course cost is like getting a real read on the CPI from the government. You never know what important factor they are leaving out that would vhange the numbers.

 

Trust me, I do. Min credit, RLL when able. However, I could still end up with a line worth over 80 and no or limited ability to drop based on manning being horrendous (see discussion about reserves on hand). That being said, it doesn't do any of us any good it COULD do if other guys are flying 90+. Hence, COLLECTIVE bargaining. All the posts above (not mine) hit the nail on the head...I believe the PWA should very much save us from ourselves.

 

I know for a fact most of the senior international F/O's would hate it, I've already heard a lot of crying about the FAR117 100 hrs in 28 days rule, which one guy told me cost him 40 hours pay every month.

I asked how.

He said he always flew 120 hours in 30 days, and the last 32 of it was usually on a green slip, now he's limited to -only- 100 in 28 days.

He usually buddy bids with the LCA's and drops a lot of his trips, which is good for him, I have no problem with that, but then picking up all that extra time is a bit much. I'm still married to the same wife after 28 years of this stuff. I always chose time off at home with the wife/4 kids over flying more for more money. A long time ago I set a personal limit at 15 days a month, only because most months are 30 days. I said to myself, "When you are gone more than you are home, it's time to cut back."

Life is short, you never know when you're going to check out, and nobody on their death bed ever said, "I wish I had worked more!"

This is part of the reason I never moved to ATL, choosing to commute from someplace I like to spend my 18 days off per month instead. That way I wouldn't be tempted to fly all the GS I could, as some guys have become addicted to.

The ironic part of all this is, if you really want 'More Money, More Time Off' you would work LESS, not more. If everyone was still only flying 75 hours, there would be 20% more wide body captains and all the way down the list there would be 20% more guys in higher paying seats, working less, not more.

 

I don't know your category, but if you are on the -ER and senior enough to bid international lines, you can put those trips on the swap board as pickups and they will be gone in an hour. LHR being the exception. Dropping trips is nearly impossible, true. But you can usually give stuff away unless it sucks and even then, one man's trash