Jay.. did you use to work at NK? or am I thinking of another Jay that left for Big "D".

 

I have used PBS before at all levels of seniority. And I am a computer guy and I learned the thing in and out. I could work it. You could tell the difference month after month, especialy once you are bidding specific trips. Toward the top you are basically building your dream line. I had 18 or 19 days off all commutable both end with 82ish credit. All that at a commuter. Ohh and all weekends off also.

But like you have said the cut in staffing is huge. It is only worth it for the top 30%. Especially in a stagnation scenario it is brutal on the bottom people. With line bidding, and with the high staffing levels forced by the transition period and our language we can make some ridiculusly long vacations. There is guys who never use all their vacation (I think top is 5 w/ year). So they just start floating trips for pay.

I used to be a pref bid advocate but the way we have it here, my vote is for line bidding especially with our 4 days off. It sucks for the company to build lines because they have to maintain a high level of reserves for transition but then those often don't work during mid month. Right now i.e. FLL base has 159 total lines of which 121 are hard lines. The rest are reserve and relief (composite) lines. So they need to keep about 24-25% non hard lines to play with. Relief guys fly more because they do get trips on their line but they also get 15 days off. Still a far cry from the 10-11% reserves who always flew at my last place.

So there is a lot to the topic.

 

No, not me. Been here a good while. Came from the t-prop commuter days.

 

Good thing, I think Shifty was about to lay into negotiating committee 1.0 from 2006.

 

Yes, good thing. Lurking here a long time before joining showed me that anyone who worked with the Lawman was going to get shot.

Those guys worked hard and never saw any thanks from the Spirit pilots. If you're reading Jay, thanks for the effort.

 

Jay,

I have seen your pride in Delta in someone else I've known for most of my life. I call the guy with the pride "Dad". He loved that airline until he was about 48ish. Right about the time Reid showed up his pride disappeared and the sense of abandonment came out in anger and frustration. His retirement was threatened, he got his lump some and got out while his monthly pension is now paid out at $1 for every $100 it should be...he gets $800 a month instead of $8000.

I am telling you this because before you come on a Spirit thread telling us that our contract is substandard. Try going on a Fedex, UPS or Southwest thread and brag about what you tentatively just got so they can tell you how it rates.

I am glad things are going well at Delta right now since many, and possibly most of my family friends work there still. However, keep in mind that if the internet existed when my dad was a L1011 FE he might have gone on a Southwest forum and bashed them for flying so many legs with a subpar contract and pay!

Another interesting conversation would be, did Spirits Pay rates help you get that TA? Because if I know Delta Pilots and I know a few, they all asked me all the time what our pay rates were going to and did not understand how an A320 driver at Spirit could be making more than one at Delta.

Also keep in mind that those new pay rates would be a lot harder to pay if Delta did not go bankrupt and lump their pension debt on the taxpayer of which most was just wiped out by the courts an PBGC.

I will put my QOL up against Delta, Southwest, United, etc. any day of the week. The difference is not QOL it is Risk. Our company is currently more risky than yours but then again when Delta furloughs again one day...and they will it will be around 2,000 pilots at one time and the furlough will last 10 years. Unless the imaginary pilot shortage helps out!

Last note Preferential Bidding gives the company a lot of power of you that you do not realize until it is to late, ask Continental guys. Enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling while it lasts.

Did not mean to type that much I am going to go get ready for my 23 days off next month!

 

nah, not me anyone that works on those committees gets my respect.....

Just like you Plain Romrad.. I respect your 4 strips.

 

Oh, I'm with ya. I would say I have pride, but the honeymoon was over when we sent 1300 to the street, dumped what was a pretty strong no-furlough clause from our contract, and then let (or at least helped facilitate) the RJ explosion at DCI. I will admit our warts as quick as anyone who doesn't work here.

I don't agree with your furlough prediction, simply because of our retirement numbers. Of course I could be wrong, but just looking at the math, it seems highly unlikely for the next 15+ years. One day, maybe, who knows.

I also know what your saying about PBS, another thing I was livid about when we went to it during the furloughs further reducing the staffing requirements. It's not a new thing for us now. It's been here for, IDK, 7-8 years. I've used it both junior and (relatively) senior, and still prefer it on the whole with it's admitted negatives.

Again, it wasn't my intention to knock NKS pilots or the contract, I just hate to see us as pilots be happy with what management is trying to set as the "new norm." To convince us that we need to keep our contract costs down to industry minimums so the company can compete or even survive, all the while making big profits, and lining their pockets and golden parachutes. Skybus was, IMHO the worst manifestation we've seen of this in recent memory, and I don't want to see something else like them ever again. (not saying that that is what Spirit is, btw)

P.S. I know exactly how ours rates against at least some of those. I even worked in FedEx flight operations back in the day and still have enough contacts to know their CBA pretty well. You might be surprised how this TA could have us positioned by 2015. Like I said, everyone needs to keep moving the ball meaningfully forward.

 

As we are (somewhat) talking about Delta here, might be worth to point out they are (somewhat) copying what Spirit has been doing in a limited market...

Delta tests ‘basic economy' fares on some flights | ajc.com

 

On a change of venue, the guy I flew with today was speaking to his pal whom had just been interviewed and has a class date.

Seems my guy with his 138 hours of time in the aircraft and no connections other than being a new hire with all the enthusiasm that entails walked in his pal's resume'.

He walked it in by camping out in the parking lot at Miramar and "accidentally" asking a women named "Sandy" from HR at 4:56 pm if she knew a women named "Sandy".

Then the ensuing pitch and the resume' for his pal.

Apparently, Sandy was flattered by this rather brusque' approach. (for SkyBolt Brusque' is a Texan term for "all hat and no cattle"). Maybe French but apparently I'm a Retard as I'm told daily.

That is a good friend.

It's a great story. Boots on the ground and friendship can still win over the evil doer's on the these damn "internets".

Welcome aboard new guy!