automatique

Any speculation about Al's e-mail? (Not the admin rights one) Did the prelim survey results spark that? What "brunt" isn't going to be borne?
Very interesting.

bluebird

Is there some war of wills going on right now? If there is I hope they get it worked out because the operation is starting to suffer. I don't know if it's software or hardware or leadership or just not having the experienced help in place but we need to pull it together. We only have 80 airplanes and IROP is starting to become a regular thing. We need to buy the software, hire the pilots, train the ground-crews, whatever. The training center is a miraculous turn-around. They really did a great job turning themselves into a world class operation but I'm still nervous about my upcoming 190 adventure. I know the economics are great, I just hope we can handle the growth.
See y'a'll in MCO.

banger

Yes I too wonder what Al was talking about. Does anybody have a clue?

FNG320

I have heard that many crewmembers (pilots and inflight) have written and complained to Al about all the IROPS, poor customer service, exhaustion, min rest for inflight (crew services abusing the rules) etc. In Al's letter he says:

Over the past few weeks, many of you have taken the time to share with me your recent experiences from both normal operations and from IROP events that have proven to be very challenging. Your concern is that our operational performance has created a negative impact on your quality of life and hurt our relationship with our customers. I appreciate this input and I must say that I agree with your observations.

Then he says:

I have asked Chris Collins, Dave Bushy and Vicky Stennes to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the principles, methods and technological tools that we use to schedule aircraft, crews, and terminal facilities so that we can make the necessary changes to ensure our future operational success and provide a high quality of life for our Crewmembers

I expect everyone will pay some price. But the price will be big and it won't provide us a high quality of life, it will acutally hurt our quality of life. JB will pay a small price, but we will pay a big price!

Here is what I read between the lines.

I expect that many changes will be made to help reduce the IROPS and late departures.

Inflight pairings will be changed to more match up with the pilots. This will reduce some inflight productivity, but it will increase crew bonding, reduce late departures due to a missing front/back-end crew. Flight attendants will not be doing as many transcon turns and getting burned out and giving crappy service.

I expect that pilot pairngs will be reduced in productivity. The end goal is to reduce the number of pilots timing out above 29:45 or 31:45 causing their replacement and the need for reserves. (The flight scheduling guide says that when a pilot is projected to be above 29:45 or 31:45 his pairing will be split to prevent this).

Pairings will be created with more turn time. Not between flights, we will still keep the same 40min turn, but get us more rest time on overnights. That way, if you do go over 8 hours in a day, you will still get plenty of rest so that you don't go min rest or force crew services to remove you from the pairing. Thus reducing the need for reserves.

Expect layovers to increase to 12-16 hours. Why? To allow for late arrivials and still have the ability to get sufficent rest. Plus the larger period allows for normal or manditory rest in case we fly over 8 hours in a day.

Currently classbid and JetBlue allow us to bid up to 29:10 or 31:10 per 7 days. I expect JB to reduce this to between 27-28 hours. Then we all have more slop and won't time out as easily.

I can also see in pairing construction, more "productivity sits" to give us flex in a an IROP day. That way when we are late, we can still make our next flight. It make will for a 12-14 hour day instead of a 8-10 hours day. Still leaving extra time prior to 16 hours duty day.

I can also see our pairings being constructed to maximzie the number of 1 day trips. This makes it easier to replace a crew member mid trip/commute if he goes illegal vs at an out base/city.

So in summary, here is what I see.

Less productivity

Less hours per commute

Longer duty days (productivity sits)

Longer layovers

More uncommuteable trips

Less days off

All of which directly reduce productivity and reduce days off. So, all of this may help fix the some of the IROP problems that are due to crews, lack of reserves, etc.... but as a commuter, most of this will reduce my Quality of Live (QOL) as well as yours. This will be Al's and Dave Bushy's idea of "provide a high quality of life for our Crewmembers" not your idea of quality of life or mine. Remember, they don't mind all of us employees making the same pay year after year with no cost of living adjustments (just check out your medical cost so far). As long as we have "10,000 applications on file" we won't see anything that is good for us. Just ask them.

Just my opinion.....

FNG

bluebrother

so what your saying is: for Al to commit to his word of improving flight ops and trying to provide a better quality of life; he is going to make our schedules worse?? wtf

you really are new.... (or just paranoid)?

automatique

FNG had some interesting points to ponder. Do you?
I freely admit I was puzzled. Al seemed to say things were going to get better, but I perceived a "brace yourself" tone.
Anybody else get that feeling, or am I also just paranoid?

jblumindtrick

FNG,

Your points are worthy. During the peak times we are going to turn it up to 11. Right before we blow the amplifier we will turn it back down to 7. It is all part of the same old song and dance.

The QSO was a culmination of the symptons. Maybe we have the wrong prescription.

FNG320

Bluebrother,

I don't think I am paranoid, but look at the facts over the last few years:

Productivity of our pairngs has been going down. (Don't you just love the 24hr layovers that use to be 13:30 pairngs stuck in the the middle of 4 day pairngs giving us those great 16-18 hour 4 days)

Changes to the Flight Scheduling guide to reduce the chance that JB doesnt' have to pay you any extra money/rig/JA pay/pay protections/etc (with no pilot input or approval).

No pay raise even when the company is making money but out cost are going up and up and up....

The promise to have more reserves to allow PTO/UTO over the summer. Hah... Just another promise broken....

The constant IROPS that started back in April. IROP has become STANDARD. The condition orange and red is always happening. Every weekend plus every time there is a rain shower or fog or wind we get the email looking for pilots to pid for reserves periods.

Neelemans over-reaction blaming pilots sick call for a JB cancelling fight. Ready, Shoot, Aim.... Shades of Lanny.... Even though it was later proven not be the pilots fault, The fact he would even think it, shows he is ready to blame anyone else but upper management (Dave B, Al S, pilot manning, Crew Services, etc)

In trying to fix the IROPS, all of the changes I listed would cost the company almost nothing! (maybe a little perdiem during the sits) They would however help the operations and ontime performance. But it will cost us plenty in QOL.

Remember the best schedule for the company is for us to fly 4-5 hours per day and work 18 days a month to get our 85 hours per pilot. That way we have lots of duty day, almost never time out, can always fly one more leg during IROPS. See, it makes every line holder slave labor, just like our reserves already are.



Do I think it will happen. Yes. I think Al's statement:

"that we can make the necessary changes to ensure our future operational success and provide a high quality of life for our Crewmembers"

Will happen sort of. But with 99% on the operational success and 1% on our quality of life. So down goes our quality of life....

BOHICA........

Just my opinion....

FNG



Almost all of the

FNG320

On the pilot side the only way for him to really fix operations and for us to keep/improve our quality of life is to hire more pilots and fix crew services. Don't expect either one anytime too soon! That cost money, thus they won't do it.

Just my opinion....

FNG

bluebrother

yeah, i have a point to make...stop subscribing to your ALPA magazine..

FNG's points are pointless. give me the exact numbers of how are pairings productivity has gone down year over year.... until then, its all BS.

-the company will not reduce productivity to prevent IROPS. (it cost more in the long run)
-pairing flight crews together does not affect pilots, it will only affect the top 10% of flight attendents. our pairings have almost been equal +- 1 or 2 hours for 3 and 4 day trips. thats a fact.

the main reasons for irops this summer is:
A. we are growing to fast for our facilities.
B. wrong managers in critical positions. (they might be able to manage ops for 20 aircraft, but not with the amount we have now.
C. understaffing for the summer months. i.e. pilots and F/A's (that doesnt mean to make more lines so every one can fly, it means having more reserves, i.e. equal ratio for lines/reserves year round.)

I have been here long enough to believe and have seen that when AL says he is going to try and fix the problem he will. (it doesnt mean he is going to stick it up our a**) which FNG is trying to promote. thats why i believe he is still very naive to the culture of jetblue.

if FNG believe's jetblue will not correct these problems with crew services and Flight ops due to costing money, then his ideology is getting the best of him. you see, it cost less in the long term to fix them now, instead of waiting (not paying to fix the problem) like UNITED, DELTA, US AIR, who are still losing money.