skypine27

FYI 75% of the MEM domicile commutes

FXLAX

I’m just saying that because of juniority there is a finite amount of pilots who can take advantage of that. Also, pilots value different things. Some hate deadheading.


A couple of things, I qualified my comment so a reread is probably necessary. Second, even if the 75% number is true (there are over 1500 pilots who live within 200 miles of Memphis), that remaining 25% still outnumbers pilots from all other bases combined.

Corned Beef

Just curious, have you seen pairings built with more bases for FedEx that shows they would be lower quality, lower paying?

Moosefire

it can be subjective based on individual preferences but broadly speaking, yes. At the opening of the Oakland base flying was flowed from the Memphis domicile to great denser trips with less soft time.

for instance a trip at the beginning of a week of flying from that originates with a deadhead to LAX would pay roughly 9 hours for the first trip for a Memphis based crewmember would now pay closer to 6 when it was staffed from the Oakland base due to the shorter block time of the deadhead leg.

FXLAX

I always bid those trips as my top choices when Memphis based. I never once got any of those lines. I can get them anytime I want in OAK. The extra pay doesn’t matter if you can’t hold those specific double deadhead trips that to the specific city you may want.

Same could probably be the same with pilots who live in the NY area if there was a EWR base with trips to Europe which are currently in the Memphis bid pack. Or pilots in the south Florida area with trips to South America that currently reside in the Memphis bid pack. Chicago, Greensboro, etc. HKG pilots loved that base despite the added credit time to those trips that now double deadhead out of SFO. I doubt the CGN pilots would be happy to have their trips live in the Memphis bid pack.

Corned Beef

Other side of the coin:

You live in base, you get that day off, don’t have to deadhead, have opportunities to pick up open time, draft, sit reserve, bid secondaries, work in the office (if it’s a big enough base), drive to work, trips have the opportunity to become more efficient, etc.

I want to be clear: I see the upside to what you’re saying. I just want to make the point, more bases aren’t the end of the world. I won’t “GWTFP” (as stated above, not by you) because this works for some. I’m not senior enough to hold these and I don’t really wanna camp out in the right seat to hold ‘em either. So it makes it tough for me. There’s something to be said about more bases and living in base. I’ll be curious to see what happens to our bid packs when the optimizer gets turned up on our path to efficiency.

pinseeker

Do you get that day off? Instead of getting paid to deadhead there, you use that day as a day off without pay and add a day of actual work.

If you don't live in base, you can still pick up open time. You can still bid secondaries. You can still get drafted or pick up AVA when available.

If you live in base, it is cheaper to sit reserve(no crashed). It is easier to get an office job(is that really the goal).

So, not following your logic.

Corned Beef

You don’t follow anyones logic, so I’m not really surprised.

pinseeker

I thought we were adults trying to have an adult discussion, that is why I referred to your statements as logic. I guess I was wrong in assuming I was talking to an adult.

So, using the idea that a pilot lives in OAK, you said it was better for that pilot to be based in OAK for a trip that starts there rather than being paid to deadhead there.

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You also suggested that it was better for that pilot to be paid around 4.8 hours per day for reserve, and no per diem rather than get paid 6 hours per day for hotel standby.

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I guess you would rather stand reserve for 12 hours over the 11.5 hours of hotel standby. You would also rather be on call for 15 days for 72 hours of pay rather than deadhead out for a hotel standby and work a total of 13 days for around 75 hours of pay.

You also stated that if you lived in and were based in OAK, you could bid secondary lines. So, are you suggesting that if you live in OAK and are based in MEM, you can't bid secondary lines?

You also stated that if you lived in and were based in OAK, you could get an office job. You do realize that there have been Fleet Captains, Standards managers, Duty officers, and even System Chief Pilots that did not live in MEM.

Finally you stated that the trips become more efficient. For who? Are you getting paid more or less for the same number of legs or on call segments?

You can either try to clarify your statements arguing the merits of more bases, or you can continue to try to drag a discussion into the mud because you have no logical response.

threeighteen

Yes…. If all of the CGN, OAK, IND, LAX, ANC bid-packs were to be operated by MEM crews, those trips would all pay more and be higher quality, even if you lived in those other places that are not bases because then it would equate to more pay and per diem for your time at home.