JetBlue Latest and Greatest
#4121
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: B6
Posts: 1,047
#4122
If this comes to fruition then some anxiety is warranted. A move of this magnitude is something that a Barger regime would have never played. It's a step backwards. I'm looking for the step forward and right now I don't see any strategy being put in place. Fighting the good fight for ATc reform is all I hear, as I see other signs that aren't in our favor on a daily basis. Staffing, hiring, crew services, no a320 cabin refreshes.
-Bubs
-Bubs
#4123
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2015
Position: Gear slinger
Posts: 2,885
That good fight for ATC reform is a necessary step towards fully automated aircraft and a pilotless airline industry... since you guys don't have a contract yet you may want to have your union throw in some some verbiage protecting against that while you're working on things...
#4124
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2011
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 199
That good fight for ATC reform is a necessary step towards fully automated aircraft and a pilotless airline industry... since you guys don't have a contract yet you may want to have your union throw in some some verbiage protecting against that while you're working on things...
#4125
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,236
#4126
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2012
Position: 190 captain and “Pro-pilot”
Posts: 2,901
Latest rumor heard from multiple Austin crew members (gate agents) that have been briefed on this: JB is in the process of giving up our gate in the Austin terminal to move to the 'South Terminal' (air quotes because it is more of a cargo loading area than an actual terminal) along with Allegiant and Sun Country as well as Spirit now rumored to be entering the market. This will be a horrible move for passengers and crew members alike. There is no current method to move between terminals other than a shuttle that takes you on main roads around the airport property. Off site parking shuttles drop passengers off at the main terminal only for them to have to wait for another shuttle to drive them around the airport to the 'South Terminal.' Food options, you ask? A food truck. . . If this indeed true, we have given up on the Austin market. Business travelers, Mosaic customers, will give take one look at this and run away. Hoping that someone will come to their senses and protect a very growing market.
I didn't even know there was another terminal.
#4127
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2015
Position: Gear slinger
Posts: 2,885
Pilotless planes could save airlines $30 billion: UBS - Business Insider
Actually I was being serious. Airline management sees pilotless airplanes as a way to save tens of billions in the coming decades.... so much so that they're already polling on it and pushing for an update of the ATC system to facilitate it decades sooner rather than later (ATC infrastructure doesn't support it currently).
Airline management is thinking decades ahead. There no reason a labor group can't have the foresight to look past the next ammendable date in their contract date when they negotiate. When they don't, they get hosed (profit sharing giveaways at AA, scope give aways amongst the legacy airlines etc.) in the long run. The Pilot manning/ augmentation issue is only three or four contract negotiations away for most carriers.
Contractual Weight limitations are currently preventing nextgen regionals from entering the market, and contractually required crew positions/manning for aircraft could prevent a single piloted passenger airliner from entering the fleet (when the pilot shortage gets severe enough we all know there will be immense political pressure to allow certification of single piloted airline operations) in the same way.
When JetBlue unionized and started working towards a CBA years ago automated aircraft weren't on the horizon as a potential threat to airline labor groups, but development of automated systems to reduce and replace dependency on pilots are now in the development phase so the threat is small but growing. Who knows how big the threat will be by the time your next contract is up for negotiation, but once it becomes a large enough threat expect to have to give major concessions to keep pilot jobs.
Actually I was being serious. Airline management sees pilotless airplanes as a way to save tens of billions in the coming decades.... so much so that they're already polling on it and pushing for an update of the ATC system to facilitate it decades sooner rather than later (ATC infrastructure doesn't support it currently).
Airline management is thinking decades ahead. There no reason a labor group can't have the foresight to look past the next ammendable date in their contract date when they negotiate. When they don't, they get hosed (profit sharing giveaways at AA, scope give aways amongst the legacy airlines etc.) in the long run. The Pilot manning/ augmentation issue is only three or four contract negotiations away for most carriers.
Contractual Weight limitations are currently preventing nextgen regionals from entering the market, and contractually required crew positions/manning for aircraft could prevent a single piloted passenger airliner from entering the fleet (when the pilot shortage gets severe enough we all know there will be immense political pressure to allow certification of single piloted airline operations) in the same way.
When JetBlue unionized and started working towards a CBA years ago automated aircraft weren't on the horizon as a potential threat to airline labor groups, but development of automated systems to reduce and replace dependency on pilots are now in the development phase so the threat is small but growing. Who knows how big the threat will be by the time your next contract is up for negotiation, but once it becomes a large enough threat expect to have to give major concessions to keep pilot jobs.
#4128
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2013
Posts: 56
If this comes to fruition then some anxiety is warranted. A move of this magnitude is something that a Barger regime would have never played. It's a step backwards. I'm looking for the step forward and right now I don't see any strategy being put in place. Fighting the good fight for ATc reform is all I hear, as I see other signs that aren't in our favor on a daily basis. Staffing, hiring, crew services, no a320 cabin refreshes.
-Bubs
-Bubs
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