Again....Its managements decision. As adept in financial matters as they seem to be......im going with 'MOST COST EFFECTIVE' for $1000, Alex.....

No doubt. But none of this is an autiomatic 'no'

Absolutely nothing except PRASM. :cool:

You could take a herd of F/O's on a trip and it wouldn't affect Pasenger Revenue Available Seat Miles (PRASM) it would however negatively impact CASM. 😎

Ok so all of this is speculation so far. Great.

Any predictions for how soon an AIP?

Ok, total revenue then. 1 less seat to sell.

True, in my days as an F/O you had to go on the OE and if no seats were available you had to ride the Jump seat but that was back in the day when men were men and the sheep were running scared.

The sheepskin seat covers took a little of the bite out of it. I rode around on the j-seat an entire month on DC-10 training. There are just so many times you can ride up and down the elevator before the babes wack you with a coffee pot.

In those days, DFW guys sat backwards in the sheepskin seats.

The OE release is a staffing concession we allowed the company to have. By releasing the FO, we are providing additional pilots for WS and GS flying. Releasing the FO on OE trips is a job killer. If the original FO was on the original trip, they would have to hire more to cover the schedule. The FOs who sit at home vs WS or GS are saving the company money by reducing lodging, per diem and fuel burn with a lighter airplane. Make not mistake about it, the company benefits from releasing the FO on OE trips.