Management would love NOTHING more than for every reserve pilot to fly exactly 75:00 every month; this insures maximum efficiency for each labor dollar spent. Unfortunately for them, this goal is next to impossible to achieve because management has a responsibility to keep sufficient reserves to cover irregular operations and all open flying.

If pilots stop picking up open flying, then yes, reserve utilization goes up. This means that there are fewer available reserves to cover the aforementioned irregular operations and open flying. Fewer available reserves means it doesn't take much before flights start canceling due to lack of crew, and NOTHING (in my personal observations) ****es passengers off more than a flight canceling due to an airline not having enough pilots to fly. Of course the company has Junior Manning available to them to cover flights, but that's a very small band-aid on a large wound at that point and leads to increased sick calls and sharply lower morale. When crew cancellations reach an unsustainable point (one only management can decide), pilots are recalled to bolster reserve ranks and displaced captains return to their seat.

There's a reason UPS pilots have a clause in their pilot contract that if management announces a furlough, the union can legally call for an Open Time Ban - it does in fact work to keep pilots off the street.

 

Those of you who stand around and thump your chest about not picking up open time are sure quick to judge others. Others whose situations you know nothing about. I call that ignorance. What you gives you the right to stand in judgement of anyone? Some of you probably got hired here while you were still on a temporary commercial certificate. All of a sudden you are airline staffing experts? I cant wait to see how far your expertise will reach after two full years on the job. Was your opinion that all who pick up open time are evil based on your vast number of years and furloughs you have eperienced while operating in this industry? The reality is most of you were probably in 10th grade trying to get your dingy a ling played with and popping pimples when our last contract was negotioated and your opinions were formed by someone else. Everyone should mind their own business. Fly safe, happy holidays

 

Ya gotta love a guy whose whole argument consists of "Shaddup, you're all a bunch of kids!... Probably..."

 

bassslayer, I'm guessing by the tone of your post that you're one of those 2nd year PSA FOs picking up opentime while some of your colleagues are on furlough?

If so, I understand you're going to do what you believe is in your best interest.

SCABS, Freedom A-listers, and the early cadre of GoJet pilots felt the same way.

Pilots picking up open flying for their own gain while members of their pilot group are furloughed is representative of the true lack of "unity" that unionized airline pilots truly have in this country. Until this lack of unity is addressed at the Local level (as pilots *are* ALPA), ALPA National will continue to be marginalized and ineffective in achieving the sweeping compensation and work rule improvements that so many pilots at the regional, major and legacy airlines are demanding.

I can't speak for others who share my opinions, but I got my "airline staffing expert" knowledge from my work on AWAC's Scheduling Committee (which started about the time you were hired at PSA) as well as observations throughout the industry (UAL "Summer of Love", NWA bankruptcy negotiations, FedEx BLG reduction, UPS Open Time Ban). Unless contractually guaranteed, union leadership can't come out and say "Don't do this" as it would constitute an illegal job action...but get enough individual pilots onboard with a grass-roots effort and the effect is the same.

You say everyone should mind their own business...but this industry doesn't operate in a vacuum. By the nature of the job a pilot's actions are judged by management, the public, and their peers...this situation it is no different.

I understand the disappointment and anger of furloughed pilots who sit back and watch while their yet-employed coworkers gorge themselves at the opentime trough; I wish more pilots would open their minds to this perspective.

I personally wouldn't pick up flying out of the opentime pot were I still at AWAC; I know I wouldn't be able to look a furloughed pilot in the eye and have a clear conscience if had I done so. Obviously, other's mileage will vary.

 

BoilerUP,

Thank you very much for taking the time to post. Hopefully it opens a few more eyes.

Oh and thanks to Surreal as well!

 

BoilerUp

I appreciate your input although I'm not sure how many you all had on furlough at the time you worked on that comittee. Regardless here you go. Here are some numbers I put together on the fly. I did this kind of quick but they should be fairly accurate. Please use this data to determine how many of the 80ish pilots on furlough should be recalled by the company assuming NO ONE picks up open time this month. I would like to see these guys back just like everyone else. And for the record, I rarely ever pick up any open time. I'm just not a fan of people playing judge and jury. Obviously I didnt count FO's that are listed as ineligable for whatever reason.

CLT
75 Hard lines
6 Build Up
Total =81 lines
112 FO's (approx 31 reserves)

DAY
33 Hard Lines
3 Build Up
Total= 36 lines
50 FO's (approx 14 reserves)

TYS
33 Hard Lines
3 Build Up
Total= 36 Lines
45 FO's (approx 9 reserves)

Total Reserve FO's (approx 54)

Most lines are credited in the high 80's which is down from the mid 90's pre furlough

Total Open Time for FO's in January= 28 Parings for a block of 226:01hrs

 

Boilerup....as usual SPOT on. My experience includes 3 1/2 years of 121 scheduled flying....most of it on reserve. My union experience includes time on the Eagle Strike Prepardness Committee in 1994 and recently on the scheduling committee for one of RAH's airlines. So I know a little of what I speak.
Boiler is right to the point when he makes note that with out unity at all levels airline unions will continue to be victimized by mgt. The "look out for me mentality" is what has doomed this profession.

ASA seems to be doing it right... they have reduced line credit to at or below the min for most of their lines... thus creating more lines... keeping guys off the street.....so far....

Basslayer.... obviously I dont agree with your position..... but its yours. Other people are allowed theirs as well... even if you dont like it.

 

bassslayer, while I'd love nothing more than to give you a number of how many people would be recalled if nobody picked up opentime, one very important factor missing that only management (and perhaps Scheduling Committee) knows is the average monthly opentime picked up by the pilot group.

Let's say for round numbers, FOs pick up a historical average of 220 open time hours each month. With reserve pilots making a 75 hour guarantee, that's 5 hours shy of 3 pilots who could be recalled; odds are strong that at least 2 more pilots would be needed. Now management isn't going to recall only 2 (or even 3) pilots, but if captains historically picked up the same amount of opentime then 2-3 FOs would resume their CA seat and there would be a need for 4-6 FOs...which should make a recall cost-effective.

Yes, management could attempt to spread that 220 hours of historical opentime pickup in each seat to reserves in order to keep their current staffing...but that makes fewer reserves available for irregular ops and sick calls, getting closer to the magical "breaking point" in the staffing models.

If one pilot gets recalled (or keeps their job) due to individuals refusing open time, doesn't that make their individual sacrifices in the name of "unity" worthwhile?

 

I see yor point but that is not how it works here. There is NO unity with this pilot group. The reason the furloughs occured in the first place is PSA over hired, anticipating about 100 captains leaving who were hired through the preferential interview process. This did not happen. there is less open time out there now than there ever has been. that 226 hrs this month is before any trip trading which will start today. I would expect to see that number go down once that happens.The guy that goes out and picks up a 1.5hr two leg trip and gets paid 6 hrs for it has a more detrimental effect on the company than if they had to assign it to a reserve. Many of our reserves are flying no where near gaurantee. The attendance here has went WAY UP once the JforJ's left. this is proven every month when the bid comes out. Our schedules are built so you really have to torture yourself to pick up open time. The company absolutely loaths SDO pay. I look at things the opposite way. If the company has to pay time and half for 226 hrs of flying, maybe they will get off their arses and build a few more lines and recall

 

Oh, well now that you put it that way.

Good thing you are out there trying to make things better.


I would bet there is more unity than you think, and folks like you are the exception.