Sounds awesome! Same thing I have said, and would have said before the AIP at Blue and NK. Then many of us are left saying "where's the beef"?

I've watched unions at this shop and others cave just before their leverage is maximized, and with significant compromise. I don't agree with it, I don't like it, I don't endorse it, yet it keeps happening... You guys had NK management by the balls, and yet even among the yes voters I've heard articulate their reasons for yes, they aren't satisfied or happy.

If you think we will get EVERYTHING on my wishlist and EVERYTHING on all your wishlists, I'm sorry already for your future disappointment.

Do I think we will have the keys to the single operating certificate? Yep. Am I 100% convinced we will use that to it's maximum advantage??? I'll keep my explicit prediction to myself at this point, as I'm not even sure the 3,000 pilots being added to the next negotiations will see themselves as more than discount airline pilot guys... And we have plenty enough of those already here...

Prove me wrong, as I have asked some of our weakest, when JCBA time comes. Not directed at you, but you have your hands full on the NK board, for a reason.

 

It is much harder to take things away from pilots than to give things to them. Say what you want about the NK AIP, but it doesn’t take anything away from pilots that they previously had. Even a mention of restricting drop to zero or limiting the grid or XY would net a resounding 90% no vote. The AIP as is will probably pass. It’s just a pay raise and not much else.

 

It's a very substandard pay raise, and giving away the unions blessing on future 1st year pay raises, which was nearly the only reason they were talking to you right now.

I can tell you at Blue we want reserve grid green. Most of us want to see changes to how premium is distributed, and we would probably be agreeable to some lower drop to XX provision. Doubt it stays at zero, certainly won't be my line in the sand, as I have other priorities, and to me the drop to zero still benefits a small group of people. But my mind is not closed, and I look forward to explanations of how most of the pilots would benefit from and be able to utilize drop to zero. If those explanations exist.

 

lmao! That's great.

 

It’s still a pay raise while not taking anything away from individual pilots, which is why, although you might see lots of bickering here, it will probably pass by a slim margin. Throw any concrete concessions in there and it gets shot down hard.

I believe both MECs have to sign off on the JCBA separately before memrat. I doubt spirits MEC will sign off on a contract that is seen as concessionary to spirit pilots.

Pay isn’t everything.

 

How far down the list does “Drop to zero” go?

At JetBlue you’d have the top five guys in each base “drop to zero” and everyone else gets stuck with a red grid. Now Lineholders can’t swap for a day off and Reserves get used every day of the month.

I don’t see that being real popular with most guys.

 

Drop to zero isn't everything... I can pay my mortgage and my kids college tuition with pay... I suspect, and still haven't been shown an example to the contrary, that drop to zero predominantly benefits the more senior, and especially those who live within an hour of base. Pay clearly benefits a much larger proportion of the group...

So given the choice, which is exactly what you just tee'd up, why should I chose drop to zero over pay?

 

This is EXACTLY how I see it. But my mind isn't closed and certainly open to being explained how this provision benefits most of the group...

But hey, you can drop all your trips, the ones you intentionally bid for using your seniority in PBS, and pick up new straight time trips from open time... Because those are always the best trips...

 

this is pretty much how it goes already here at blue. Top guys with sweet trips give them all away on the trade board and VDA the entire month

 

Depends on base, seat, etc. My friend who just got out of training with a relief line in LAS dropped to zero easily. Grid is usually red but goes green for a few minutes plenty often, just have to check a lot.