This is fairly normal, January is a slow month so the divisors are throttled back. When the divisors are throttled back people try to make up the time and grab what they can and viola, no more opentime. If you still need to pick up you will usually be able to (at least in JFK 320), but you must give up your weekends. There are always trips in the pot late on a friday. Last year the company told us they over hired... if we return to 80/85/90 hour divisors in March/June/July/August... then they were telling the truth. If we see another summer with 75-80 hr targets, then the paradigm has changed.

 

Just out of curiousity and IF we get a majority for the union on the next drive, how many are for doing away with premium pay for a bumb in base pay and cap everyone at 85-90 hrs/month? More pilots needed, more upgrades and hopefully promotes a better QOL. Also would allow most of the pilots to fly a limited amount of better paying trips. Input??

 

There are so many folks here who have little to no access to premium pay that I would gladly trade it in for better base rates.

As far as pay caps, I'm not too worried about the company trying to impose an official one. They already do it through crappy lines most of the year. I'm not too worried about ALPA trying to impose an hours cap either.

Even when I was relatively senior in the right seat, I rarely broke 90 hours. I just don't want to work that hard and I'm not giving up days at home. Hell, my whole goal here is to spend as much time at home as possible. (Technique only)

 

I'd be on board with it. Odds are probably good when I hold a line it won't be more than 90 hours anyway, so as long as the pay bump balances out the premium pay, I say bring it. The key is to make sure everyone's W2 wages either stay the same or preferably increase. As long as you're not running a bot to snag open time, I don't see that as an unrealistic goal...

Edit: Bored and ran quick math. Based on a 5 year A320 CA pay rate (which seems to be standard for computing pay on a lot of things), it would only take a 15% pay increase to net the same amount a 90 hour line would currently give you by flying 85 hours. Same money, fewer hours. 15% pay bump in exchange for getting rid of premium pay isn't that tough of an ask IMO.

Edit again: Running the math on multiple pay rates even nets the the same percentage give or take 1%, so across the board will likely work.

Granted, this is without doing some kind of modifier to bring us in line with what the pay increase for 2013 should have been to keep pace with AMR, Delta and UAL in the peer group....

 

Again, I am wondering if anybody has some real information about the aircraft/base breakdown fror the January 9 class. Please do not tell me "what you heard" as I am interested in the facts only. Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

The only fact is we likely won't know anything for sure until Jan 8th when the bid sheets show up at Sonny's. That's how it was for the 11/7 and the 12/5 classes.

 

Thanks Kellwolf,
I look forward to meeting you soon at Sonny's. I would like to be Airbus JFK that's why I'm asking.
Happy new year!

 

Well, rumor is it's gonna be E190 only, but ya never know. I'll be up in BOS for the Jan 9th class. I guess they figured 3 free meals at Sonny's was gonna be too much.

 

We used to be able to look at the class sizes/equip on the training center website, but they changed their intranet, so I have no idea what the classes will be anymore. We need to find someone who works in the training scheduling department to pass out info.

 

Based on system bid that closed a couple of weeks ago I would say better chance of A320 for JFK and BOS than the 190.