Nope. We sure woudn't want a 4yr west FO upgrading before a 20yr east FO. Now that would be ridiculous. Even arbitrators go off their rocker (or get influenced somehow) and make decisions that make no sense. His two pilot helpers didn't agree with him. They guy is 83yrs old. And then there's alpa changing a long tradition of Date of Hire and Seniority. They changed their policy and made seniority for sale. Ah but that's another bad novel.....

I'll put in my .02 for the guys interested. The 190 is a very nice aircraft. Longer than a 737 and heavier than a DC9. Nice LCD screens, nearly as automated as a airbus, and for the most part a well thought out airplane. The passengers like it and most flight attendants give their approval although some say the front galley is a bit small. Right now the reserves have a pretty good life. Some short call reserves are only flying as little as 5hrs a month. Because of the bucket system it is hit and miss. Long calls are getting about 50hrs which makes it very commutable. Living in base is preferable. This of course is all subject to change. If they get short reserves will obviouly work more. Airplanes are coming quick and rumour is that we just signed a deal for a lot more. Only base right now is PHL but rumour is once more airplanes come, they'll put some in CLT. Only makes sense as the plane already flies some CLT routes. Cities are being added every month but out of PHL the 190 flies to DFW, MSY, BNA, RDU, BOS, YUL, ATL, and so on. Someone mentioned that the schedules are commuter schedules. Bull. In the bid packet 5 legs are rare. No more than the airbus. 1-4 legs are normal.

When you are a block holder you have a schedule adjustment period where you can swap trips with others and open time, and drop & pickup. Even once the month has started as a blockholder you can swap with open time two days prior to a trip. So what ends up is that the least desirable trips go to the reserves. As a reserve you'll do a lot of day trips such as PHL-BOS-PHL-BOS and standups. Day trips and standups are what blockholders tend to drop. The good news is that reserves are moving up to blockholders pretty quick right now. They are adding about 2 lines per month and I think they're at 26 hard lines right now. Senior FOs after their 12month lock are bidding off the airplane for more money so with the current movement you would probably be on reserve only 2-3 months. I've been at several airlines and have flown 121 over 20yrs and I can honestly say that we've got some of the best cockpit crews around. Most guys are laid back, professional, and fun. There's always the few jerks that are.....well...........they're everywhere.

If operations stay separate we can benefit from the high retirement rate and things are moving fast. We sure deserve it after putting up with years of bad managment and bad managerial decisions. No one know what is going to happen and it looks like next year will be a year of many changes and mergers and who knows how it will all play out. This career unfortunately is a roll of the dice. You make the best decision you can at the time and hope it's a good one. Personally I think it will all work out in time at Airways. Things are certainly not perfect right now but things will get better. One thing you commuter guys will like is that most of our east schedulers have been around a long time and they operate strickly by the book. No favorites or playing games. They'll get canned for that. Much much more professional than you're probably used to.

Good luck to all of you applying and see you on line.

 

Not my words but sums it up nicely:

The vacancies created on the East weren't anywhere in your AWA 1998 hires so called expectations.

You keep driving narrow bodies around the desert in the shadow of Southwest on the cheap, because that was and has been your expectation

 

Or it could it be that some of us were aware of the mighty seven management team? Five of which left for America West to turn it around. Nah I'm sure a clueless moron such as yourself is far more in touch with the real goings on. While unfortunately Jeff is gone(deceased) there are still several left. While I'll admit America West wasn't my first choice(they just called first) I was aware of the brain trust that left Northwest with the goal of creating the world's best airline.

 

ACTUALLY ... I'll keep driving wide bodies around the BROWN world ...

It beats driving 757s to Hawaii every week like I did at Cactus ... sometimes

But it certainly beats merging with a twice bankrupt airline that hasn't figured out how to grow up and respect itself ... or others.

Later, CC

 

A little shift in topic, but same company, and I didn't feel the need to start a new thread.
Today in CLT a US Airways 757 purposely blocked us in a spot and wouldn't move up even at the beckoning of the ramp controller. It took us and about 5 other RJ's a ten minute wait just because the crew of one airplane wouldn't move up 100 feet. Then, when we finally get moving, we hear from other crews snide remarks about the RJ's being the "replacements".

You mainline guys need to stop this behavior and give us respect. You wouldn't have a job without us. Who do you think brings in all your connecting passengers from the little podunk towns?

We are tired of things like what happened in Charlotte today, we are tired of hearing all you whine about your seniority list and how your job and life sucks. It does nothing more than to annoy your fellow pilots and makes people view you as disgruntled old farts. Please show some respect and you shall recieve it in return.

 

I wont comment on the blocked alley, because I was not there.. That being said, ML would not have jobs if it wasnt for Express? ML would never stop operations, just because they lost express. Surely you really don't believe this.
All Express really does is make flying more convenient for people who would have normally driven to a major airport to fly. Southwest is a prime example...they don't have any Express feed and they do just fine.

 

Most of us guys on mainlines come from the regionals so stop your hate writings and grow up. No one I know of has any disrespect for regionals. We are all pilots and equal. We are all human beings and equal. Do some individuals act like jerks? Sure. But to sterotype ALL mainline pilots like that is not only childish but only hurts our own profession. It is entirely possible that the 757 had other reasons that had nothing to do with you for doing what he did. Did you ask him to move up? Tell him to come up company freq. and find out what is going on. Solutions versus wining.

You're still welcome on my jumpseat anytime though .

 

What does bankrupt have to do with anything? Delta was in bankruptsy. Does that make them any less of a carrier or their pilots any less deserving of a career?

What you just fail to understand or accept is that it wasn't the pilot's decisions that led to the muck up of the airline. The ridiculous managements that were there previously raped and pillaged totally against our wills and wishes. So the pilots should be punished for managements ill will and greed? You have no idea what's going on or the history here.

What this country needs is a national seniority list (or the like) and maybe then we'll stop stabbing each other in the back for a few seniority numbers. Think about what's fair for all instead of wallowing in your greed.

 

Sorry to hear that but I'm not surprised. In Phoenix the chicken sh!ts are forcing West aircraft to go around. They either pull into position and sit or role to the last turn off reallllllll ssslllllloooooowwww. They never try anything in person of course, because they know us youngins will drag them behind the wood shed for a good beating.