The Latin qualification definitely needs revision, no question.

Good point. Not many fly to Hawaii

Lol. I can't wait to see all the concessions we give in the next CBA.

It's a shell game and B6ALPA is in on it.

You mean like a line check... and a check in the box at recurrent or a cbt?

What skills? Filling out the log book skills? Time fuel distance skills? Pilot skills?

ETOPS is mostly Mx tracking. You are talking about oceanic flying. It is modestly more difficult and 90% of that is planning; which the dispatcher does. It’s only “flying to the moon” if you’ve never done it. The skill can be learned in 2 segments.

So all the other airlines that have this kind of flying, manage to have people do it as little or as often that they like are all just ticking timebombs because of the lack of safety with that method? Stop drinking the blue juice bro. It’s strictly cost savings. Ask any DL 75/76 pilot if they can fly to the west cost and the caribbean for months on end and then bid one europe trip every once in a while. It’s strictly cost savings, at the expense of QOL and health of the crew, nothing else.

Of course it isn't rocket science, but it is different, and it does require more attention to detail and maintaining situational awareness than flying from JFK to DEN. Frankly, it will probably cost more to maintain a sub base than to just train everyone in the base, because if the whole base can do it, then you don't need any additional pilots.

Maybe once we have been flying there a few years the requirement for a sub base will change?

As I said just above, it very well could cost more to operate a sub base due to staffing inefficiency. This is actually about a new type of flying, and the mitigations that the company has decided upon for the new hazards.

I can't speak to other airlines, and their risk tolerance. Those airlines have a long corporate history with that type of flying, which does make a difference. They have established policies, procedures, and a cadre of dispatchers, pilots, and technicians that are very familiar with the unique challenges of the theatre of operation. SMS is required by Part 5 now, and if they have conducted a risk assessment, and the FAA agrees with their systems, more power to them.

Once we have done this for a few years, perhaps the sub base will become unnecessary.

Isn’t having a separate category good for us? More pilots needed and hopefully some movement from the upper end of the JFK/BOS 320 list.

If this separate category involves flying ONLY back and forth to London, staying in a highway motel 6 near the airport, I think you're gonna be surprised how junior it goes. So the senior guys stay on the regular list in front of you, and the junior hires go to the LR category so they DON'T go beneath you make you to make you more senior in seat.