I use to deliver pizzas. Minimum wage while in the store, then a different rate when you took a delivery. Seems logical to pay pilots the same way.

It's called a duty rig. No contract should ever pass without it! Everyone should have it. Fight for it. If spineless yes men jellyfish union reps pass a TA without it, kick it back and tell them no way...not without duty rigs

So why couldn't we change it? Rules and regulations have been changed in the past, heck even the constitution has been amended.

Duty and Trip rigs would solve this issue.

Though it's worth mentioning that there's at least one airline, Cape Air, that pays per duty hour, not per flight hour.

"We" can't change it, it would take an act of Congress. The RLA is what gives you the right to have union representation and a CBA. To paraphrase TallFlyer, why not just get a better contract?

The solution is a better contract, or apply to a company that offers a better hourly rate. Most places are hiring right at ATP mins anyway. With the duty rigs that are in place, the WORST case scenario for me is an hourly rate of 20 bucks and change.

Paid-by-hour may look good at the initial glance, but not when you look at the multipliers you'd be missing out on based on hourly rate. Here's a good example: My company pays 3rd year FO's $41.36. The minimum daily guarantee is 4 hours. We were incredibly short staffed, and the company was offering 200% pay for picking up open time. I picked up an out-and-back that totalled 2 hours of block time.

Work 2 hours, get paid 8 x 41.36. That's $330.88

My effective hourly rate was $165.44. I was on duty a total of 3 hours, so if you go by that then my hourly rate was $110.29. I'd much rather have the option of doing something like that on my day off rather than change to a system that may or may not help at all. Not to mention the fact that the RLA renders this conversation pointless.



Edit: Also... if the airlines had to pay you by the duty hour PLUS the flight hour, they would just decrease the hourly rate for block time down to minimum wage, and congrats: You'd be a minimum wage worker.

To clarify I meant in addition to hourly flight pay. Sort of like the pizza delivery analogy. I know what the current law is the idea is trying to change the law. And to the person who said they will just cut the flight pay no they won't unless you LET THEM. It's an end run around the entire system. Now if you want to give the money back in negotiations no law can help that.

how about if they should make the Duty time 70 hours with in the last 8 days!
D.O.T for Truckers or bus driver... they are allowed to only 70 hours of duty per 8 days!

just saying its an idea!!

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Horizon have an older contract that paid by TAFB? I thought I heard senior captains tell me this and after a certain amount of TAFB if the company kept you longer you received like 150%.

Again, trip and duty rigs already solve this problem. It's contractually impossible for me to be paid less than 1/2 my hourly rate of $41.36 for any time I'm on duty.

I think what you're thinking of is the way things were before we even had a union. I don't know the specifics, but it seems like it was a mess. How's the new place treating you?