I think you should apply. I will even pay your Airapps fee for the year!

 

The airline is right now critically understaffed. They have been running out of reserves and extending lineholders for the last two weeks. In February, the slowest month of the year. They have to run another class, because if they don't this place will shut down this summer. Our inept management has short term memory. I guess they don't remember the chaos of summer 2011 when everyone timed out and fatigued out.

I will say that I find is extremely funny that management wants 10 million dollars in concessions, yet they waste money extending lineholders at 150%. I think they need to cut the waste before they even think about asking for concessions. epic fail.

 

I'm with you, however I'm sure they looked at what it costs at paying 150% vs hiring a person. It's cheaper to offer overtime(150%) than it would be to hire someone. I'd be interested to see the numbers of how many people get extended and I'd be willing to bet it is still cheaper than paying health insurance, 401k, training costs, and salary for two people to get hired.

It's like this in almost every industry. It's cheaper to pay someone a few hundred bucks extra than it is to pay someone a years salary.

Where I take issue, as you pointed out, was their meltdown in 2011. When you're having people fatigue out and drop dead as a lack of planning I think that shows a lack of respect for employees and common sense. I think it also showed them just how far they could push, and how much they can get away with before we snap. Hopefully we can avoid another summer 2011, I know I won't let them push me as hard as they did.

 

The flaw here is that anyone who's been here for a while knows that this company succeeds in spite of itself. The is no way they did any kind of analysis. The crew resources department lives hour to hour putting out fires. They have no long range planning whatsoever. Their only goal is to get a problem off their desk and onto someone else's. In fact, that's how everyone in the GO operates.

Clearly they forgot. Or more likely, they don't care. They probably figure everyone will moan and gripe on the message boards, but still show up to work. If people start to fatigue out, they'll just go back to the punitive fatigue policy. Then we'll get a memo blaming the pilots for fatigue calls, but saying It Doesn't Matter How We Got Here.

 

Here was the laundry list of excuses in 2011 as to why we were so critically understaffed.

"The staffing and our operation has reached a critical mass this week (ie maintenance issues, increased flying added at the last minute, commuter clause users, sick calls, personal issues, extended training for some pilots-new hires and upgrades, ground damage, weather, too much open time left from the original bid run, PBS issues, people not following the FOM policies, etc.). "

 

we might get the "it doesnt matter how we got here" memo again....

 

I didn't fly at all in jan on reserve, flown everyday on reserve for feb

 

I'm on reserve and I haven't blocked less than 70 hours since October......the ORD FO reserve pool is non existent. Either let some of the Newark/CLE guys in or hire mas pilots! I'd rather fly like 15 hours a month

 

The rumor I'm hearing is that our summer block hour schedule for 2013 will be one of our busiest on record. Between this, and the attrition that is picking up, this company will be in for a rough ride. I got absolutely HAMMERED in 2011, and I won't do that again- one way or another. This company lives month to month, with absolutely NO down the road planning, what so ever.

There was also an internal memo which was sent out to the Chief Pilots Office, about February. Apparenty, they don't want any unecessary leaves granted because we are "critically understaffed" for this month. They didn't take into account the number of folks that are still in training. Good grief- understaffed already, and they don't think there will be problems this summer????

They always plan to run fat in the off season, and lean in the summer. However, I think this year, this idea is flawed because of hiring at the majors, and they have no true clue just how bad it really will be.

 

This summer is going to be an absolute joke. The funny thing is, they know the new FT/DT regs are going into effect in '14. Summer schedule + increased attrition + increased fatigue calls + new FT/DT regs = one hell of a sh*tshow. You would think they'd at least be proactive about getting some more pilots on property due to the new rest rules, but I guess not.