If I don’t VDO, I have 12 days off. If I VDO, I have 12 days off and I make 150% on many days and get to often choose my days off and when I pick up the scheduler asks IF I want to work.

Wouldn’t it be more like I was sticking it to the man? I got paid 150% for a trip this month AND now have the holiday weekend off, during which the company will likely have an even worse shortage while I’m drinking beer on a house boat on a day they would have likely been paying me only regular pay.

Now if a guy were to VDO and then work more than 18 days a month...that’s a different story. Not even sure if that’s contractually legal since the idea to give up my days off hasn’t crossed my mind.

That’s the way I see things. There’s nothing to cover in a weather room that can’t be covered at the plane where you can actually get more things done. With the weather getting hot and the jetway air conditioning units being what they are, I go to the plane and crank the apu. The LUAL guys that I’ve flown with have either given up expecting us to go to the weather room, or they have come around to our way of thinking. Either way, I’ve never been questioned by anyone.

Uh, no it wasn't. CAL had a 30 mins prior to show at outstations while UAL had 1 hour. 45 mins was the compromise and quite frankly I still find myself twiddling my thumbs for 15 mins or so because its excessive.

What on earth are you "planning" anyway? Aren't you just "reviewing" the pre-filed paperwork while checking the weather, fuel, MRD and briefing the F/A's? If that takes you more than 20 mins than perhaps its time to hang it up?

I am of course, referring to 737 and A-320 domestic runs only.

You're not picking a fight at all but simply stating the obvious. Meeting at the FPA is a dinasouric old UAL thing that they simply can't let go of.

As you point out, NOBODY else does this but for some unexplainable reason they consider it safer. :rolleyes:

Unbelievable. I actually am going to concur with 757driver. Both of his posts. The iPad is a glorious thing, and everything is right at your fingertips, to be reviewed on the van ride in. Probably should even shorten the 45 minute shows to 30, provided the Capts are willing to do some box work or a walkaround. If you want 30 minute shows in a junior base on a new hire fleet, and intend to just sit there or chat with FAs until the FO has everything ready, good luck.

And why do people care whether it’s looked at in the hotel before pick up, in the van, of after the report window begins? It’s your work to do and just needs to be done. I’ve never flown with anyone who refuses to look at anything until inside of report time....that’s an outlier to be wary of for sure.

I usually find myself ready to leave the hotel a few minutes early. Between that and the van ride in, I take the time to get in a review.
Am I getting paid? On the surface, some will argue you're not.

But this is being "efficient". And companies that have efficiency in their processes and their employees actions will benefit. And that benefit might get passed on in the next contract negotiation.

After a 20+ hour layover, I don't feel the need to nothing until I step into the cockpit... and then to start rushing.

YMMV.

Even if you wait until in your seat to pull up the paperwork, 30 minutes is plenty of time. Downloading and reviewing takes 5 minutes at the max. Unless you’re new, most of us can do everything else by ourselves in 15 minutes, with 2 people working together splitting the load it goes even faster. If the meet and brief did in fact enhance safety there would be measurable data showing that United had a better record than AA, NWA, DAL, CAL, ...... There’s not because no major US airline is the gold standard as to what a professional pilot should be. The only difference is the color of your uniform and w2.

I totally disagree with both of you.

First off you need to understand that flight planning with the FO in the flight planning office was the way most LUAL flights were done before the merger and the vast majority of LUAL captain's still do that today. Going straight to the plane was an unusual event when you were particularly late or wanted to grab food. 90% of the time pilots went first to the flight planning office and sat down at a table to review all the papers and only after BOTH pilots had looked everything over did the captain sign the release and then BOTH pilots went together to the plane.


Also, there is absolutely no way a domestic pilot can load his iPad, read all the NOTAMS and review the DIL and review the weather forecast for the destination and enroute and alternate and discuss MEL items and fuel with your FO and THEN do a full setup in an A320 when the van drops you off 45 minutes prior.

You can say no one at LCAL ever had a problem with 30 minutes, but I will tell you I had a friend at the commuters who got violated because he didn't read a NOTAM about a changed minimum on an ILS into HPN and shot an approach when visibility was below the NOTAM'd limit. I had my own case as an FO on the 767 when flying to ZRH with GVA listed as an alternate. Turns out buried deep in the NOTAMs was a tiny note saying GVA would be closed for the time period we were going to arrive. The next closest suitable alternate ended up causing us to add gas. Who knows what choices we might have been faced with if I hadn't caught that note. What about our guys that missed the tid-bit about calling Turkey ahead of crossing VESAR that got in trouble. Do you think a little more time reviewing the available info might have been prudent?

Cutting corners in reviewing information may work most of the time as there isn't much relevant in there 99% of the time, but skip something important just once and you may be in trouble.

Duly noted but as pointed out, you're completely in the minority on this as no other airline does this anymore. Perhaps its day has come and gone and some of the UAL types are just to proud to admit that it really serves no purpose?

I launch all the time despite the 5 pages of Notams in there as does the entire rest of the industry and do it in way less time than you've indicated.

Quite frankly if you're so concerned about every single detail listed in the paperwork, might it be safest of all to never leave the warm, comfy confines of the hallowed FPA and just stay on the ground? :D

Sunvox, if you read the thread you'd see we were talking about domestic, not international like your evidentiary one off example.