And it was amazing! I actually turned down another premium trip that would’ve put me at 200 hours!

Be cynical all you want makes no difference to me! Your argument on this subject has been the same for months and is just as dry now as it has ever been. You’ve been accustomed to a **** schedule flexibility your entire career and now you can’t see anything different. Open your eyes to a bigger picture. There are other ways to do this! Or don’t. But the rest of the NK seniority list ain’t letting this go!

 

You're adorable. All the guys that left NK for other airlines, did someone simply never tell them how amazing it was? Did you guys not let them touch FLICA or something? How did you keep it such a secret, how amazing it is there? But I'm glad you've got this whole business figured out now that you've been at Spirit a couple of months now.

There's much I want to bring over from the NK contract, but this "everyone drops everything and only fly's two Thursdays a month for 400%" shtick is getting old. Inverted was trying to lead you there recently, when he explained that obviously only a fraction of the airline COULD EVEN POSSIBLY drop their schedule. If even a small fraction of the airline did in fact drop their schedule to sit for premium, the grids would all go red. Even on an average good day your grid is probably only green by 3-10 guys. So if just that many decided to do what you did the grid would go red, and everyone else would be denied. The simple fact that the grids are still green are proof that only a fraction are ACTUALLY DUMPING THEIR SCHEDULES to sit for premium. So while anyone can (maybe) do it, No, not everyone can do it.

 

I have been listed on X List all July and I have been called once on July 1st. It seems a fool's errand to base so much earnings on something you have no control over.

As far as the grid goes. There is a massive staffing problem in the right seat in LAS because Spirit cannot find any new hires who want to live outside of Florida. Because of this the Captain side is overstaffed and according to NavBlue for August is running 40% + on reserve so the grid is solidly green in the left seat.

 

Just because it doesn't register within your Overton window, doesn't mean it's not real.

This is not correct. I was literally the plug in my base and was able to drop/swap an atrocious relief line into something pretty great for me. All of my classmates reported similar results being very junior as well.

Others have touched on it, but DTZ and the grid rules benefit everyone whether you think you use it or not. It's also hard fought language that has been tested in the courts and we would be utterly idiotic to even consider putting it on the table. It's 100% non-negotiable.

 

Yep. As long as your ego can handle not having the highest base pay rate chart on airlinepilotcentral.com, you can actually out-earn the legacy guys if you want at NK.

But, that doesn't mean we can't have the same or better base pay with this contract too. The point is the flexibility of DTZ and the grid rules lets you earn well above listed rates if that's what you're after.

 

Where did I say we don’t deserve industry standard base pay rate? No where. This discussion has been about DTZ and a few JB folks who can’t seem to wrap their head around the fact that you don’t have to be an indentured servant in this career.

 

Same here. Just out of IOE with the COVID shutdown clearly coming and no chance to transfer out of the base I was awarded in initial I dropped my entire schedule and picked up enough flying at a base that was easy to commute to to insure that I got consolidated before I went on reserve where I subsequently barely flew for the next nine months.

Is DTZ something to die for? No, but it is damn handy. And the negotiating leverage needed to make it happen is (predominately) in the red-green grid, not whether you drop to zero or drop to fifty or whatever. A 75% green grid facilitates ALL drops and trades, not just the relatively few people who actually DTZ in any given month.

 

You're very confused. I said a fraction of the airline can dump their schedule and sit for premium. And that only a fraction of the airline can dump their schedules. If everyone did it, the grids WOULD turn red. This is not in dispute! Only so many can do it! Now, I didn't say WHICH fraction could do it. The fact the you did it was because not enough guys above you chose to do it. If they had, you'd have been denied at the bottom of the list. Your seat was likely way overstaffed at the time, but that is a completely separate point.

 

Do you not realize that with drop to 40-50 you could have done the same thing?

Drop two trips from base A, pick up two trips in base B. Drop remaining 1-2 trips from base A, pick up last two trips in base B.

ZERO is such an extreme outlier in the industry, and just isn't needed 99 times out of 100 to accomplish the things most need/want. If we can keep ZERO and still get everything else we want, great! If we can't get the other things, then DT40-50 + everything else we want would still be industry leading by a MILE and fantastic. And obviously must keep every part of RED/GREEN.

 

No. It's part how those rules benefit everyone. It forces the company to adequately staff the airline. Some people want to max their flying. Some people want to chill. Some do both. Just because you can't hold how it works in your head, doesn't change that it actually works very well in reality. DTZ and grid rules are golden and benefit everyone regardless of your schedule preferences. You could enjoy them too with this next contract if you took two seconds to understand how they work and how they effect the system.