Does anyone else find it odd that we have been getting all these new planes but no new routes/destination announcements?

 

Know for a fact that they aren’t increasing frequency on routes? Also more spares.

 

AllOva, so why are you on APC? You seem to know how this aviation stuff works?

 

I know right, you gotta be insane to want that widebody pay.

I know your just talking about Spirits bottom line but it’s funny when I fly with guys that say stuff like “I could never sit in a plane that long” or “I just want to only fly here in the good ‘ol US of A.” Im thinking, I bet for widebody pay you wouldn’t be thinking that. Especially how efficient the trips would be. Sure we wouldn’t make as much as the legacy carriers but it would relatively be more than our own narrow body pay.

 

Having flown long haul, including doing so in the 330 (fantastic plane by the way) I can say with no BS that I most certainly would want nothing to do with it here at NK. I wouldn’t mind at all flying the rest of my career domestically (and the few ‘international’ routes we have which are cake) Additional pay would not entice me, the rest of you are welcome to it.

*further to that, I did it with amazing catering, first class hotels, and hot flight attendants, again you are all welcome to it...

 

The problem is it wouldn't come with higher payrates for nothing. Remember we are already at the dead bottom of the industry for narrowbody pay. Even if we get industry average widebody pay (which is a hilarious pipedream) it would come at selling out the rest of the group.


Does the reserve rules sellout seem familiar? Sold out for what, below industry payrates. Great job guys

 

Could you explain why? Was it because it was just hard on your body? You said it wouldn’t want to do it again but you didn’t list any reasons.

Be sure to tell the CKA that BOG is a cake walk for when (or if you already upgraded) I’m sure they will love to hear that.

Yeah I guess we don’t fly ‘international’ at NK because the international you flew was cooler. 😎

 

The point I’m trying to make is look at airlines that have wide and narrow body. Tell me what is more senior and ask yourself why?

 

For those who whine about back side of the clock flying, you cannot do long haul and avoid this. Yes it’s hard on the body, and an Airport hotel 45-60 minutes from central London or Paris gets just as old as one next to LGA. To avoid hitting another circadian rhythm the best layover times are less than 18 or over 30 hours, I’m guessing we won’t be doing the long ones. Etc etc.

Compared to Kathmandu, Bogota is quite manageable (I did BOG in a 777). QFE approaches with metric altitudes into Kazakhstan, or butterfly shaped double procedure turn VOR approaches which aren’t in the FMS into Peshawar.

No, because most of our routes are dispatched under FAA rules, not ICAO, that’s why.

As far as cooler, I mean, I guess...

Working out dispatch legalities for ETOPS, commercial cargo safety requirements, dealing with HF in remote areas, being 3 hours away from anything resembling a runway over the pole, and the intricacies of NAT OTS procedures isn't about being cooler, it’s that flying domestically in the US is really friggin easy and for me not worth a pay bump to do all that again.

 

It pays more, and depending on contractual work rules can be a decent lifestyle. I won’t deny that, but it would have to be carefully negotiated from jump street.

I was humbled when I first started doing that kind of flying, there’s a huge learning curve, and the relative sensible order of US airspace/airports, and the relaxed RT doesn’t help prepare us. There is an appeal to flying big plane far, and I get that. If I hadn’t done it before I would be interested. Since I’ve ticked that box, I can say I don’t wish to again, especially not at NK, and if we ever get big planes here then the rest of you guys can fill you boots and I’ll happily do turns to Asheville for ya.