Roy Biggins

To say I have concerns about this place moving forward would be an understatement. If no changes are made, management is going to destroy this airline. A complete overhaul is in order. For the first time since I’ve been here, I’m giving serious thought to updating my apps. I really didn’t wanna have to start over.

The701Express

Getting rid of soft time was one of the few levers management could easily pull to show Wall St they can control planned costs. The gamble is that in a summer operation with planned ASMs reduced already by over 10%, that they don't need productive pilots and the operation holds together well enough to also reduce the actual costs of running the schedule or at the very least, make up for the overage with higher revenue. The irony of less productive pilots means fewer pilots on days days off to pick up open time, premium trips, RSA, or VDA to help rescue the operation when needed. As a result irops happen more often, are more widespread, and last longer than they would have otherwise increasing the actual cost of operating the airline.

The benefits of cutting soft time are so small relative to the cost of other operational issues. In no particular order, I think the hope is to use it as a shiny object to distract Wall St from other issues, fill air time to make it seem like management is actively taking serious action to fix the cost control issues, displace that burden onto labor by latching onto and furthering the pilot shortage narrative despite having more planes and pilots year over 3 while struggling to increase ASMs, and to also put the screws to the pilot group that's in section 6 negotiations.

Every extra day you have to spend at work relative to a year or three ago is the result of a management decision.

povertyeagle

Welcome to the new plan, its the same as your old plan.

You can keep your doctor domicile.

MainlineFlyer

Oh. So its a de facto pay cut! Thats what I thought. More work for less money! Where is ALPA in all this? Probably figuring out more ways to sell us out.

"CULTure×2"

PSU Flyer

It’s really more work for the same money. At least relative to 6-9 months ago. 4 days used to block 18 and pay 20. Now, they block 20 and pay 20. No more “free money” for pilots. Of course the schedule 11 hour layovers after a 3 leg day and stuff like that which causes broken pairings. Then, they use VDA to fix it, but that comes out if a different budget so it doesn’t count apparently.

avi8orco

CK’s specialty…

Boomer

Correct, the system CP. Listen to today’s pilot pocket session from minute 14:00 to 15:00 and someone tell me if I heard wrong.

Bgood

eh....for this one, what can ALPA do? Company dont want to give us 5hrs of cash when we only work for 2hrs anymore. Sucks but all we can do is hope this new way of scheduling blows up in their faces. Which it doesn't take much to do.

When attrition keeps going higher for schedules that suck, maybe they'll get it. Or not.

MainlineFlyer

What ALPA eeds to do is call this out for the pay/qol cut that it is. They need to start firing up this pilot group. BTW this "less pilot soft time" tactic would not work if we had a min calender day rig like some other airlines. Maybe they could have gotten that for LOA 18 but I guess we will never know.

I'm sure we will get 'em next time...

Boomer

A “min calendar day rig” would probably eliminate most of our commutable trips.