Like I said in my first post, my apologies for my ignorance since I'm off Mil Leave and have been out of country a while so this could just be the jet lag. If I recall the last couple times, voluntary furlough had some advantages over a LTA but I can't remember what they were. I know I did the voluntary furlough in 2008 (went to work in my family's business) that rolled into a real furlough in 2009 and I thought there was some incentive for us to take the VF option. Does this ring any bells?

 

What is the benefit or incentive for anyone to take a voluntary furlough? Especially now that they have had the chance to take an ESRL or COLA. What does a VF offer that a COLA doesn’t? Would there be some pay and or benefits attached?

 

No benefits other than travel, but a VF does allow somebody to stay out up to 10 years.

 

LAXLUVR,

No apologies needed, and THANK YOU for your service to our country!

The biggest advantage of a VF over a COLA is the one that Cadet Driver pointed out: Flexibility. On a VF one has the ability to stay out doing something else for up to 10 years if things are going well enough on the outside all while moving up the seniority list as pilots are retiring. The VF can be very attractive for commuters with other employment options closer to home, or dual income families with young kids at home. When they return, these pilots can enjoy the benefits of improved QOL and assignment options. The VF also allows one to return to UAL much sooner if things are going better here than the outside assuming the company is offering recalls.

There is always a risk that things don’t turn around as quickly and recalls are delayed. A VF pilot can only return during a recall. In that case the COLA is safer as it gives a specific return date to UAL that does not depend on whether the company is recalling or not. The COLA works very well for a known length of absence.

The VF also has some other income advantages. One is the pilot will qualify for furlough pay, and this can be as high as 4.5 months of pay. Another is eligibility for unemployment benefits; a VF is treated as a furlough, and the pilot can file for unemployment benefits from his or her state unemployment office. Medical coverage advantages could be included with a VF as well, as the UAL pilots have a furlough fund that will help cover COBRA if the pilot does not have other health insurance.

As far as the ESRL/SRL, they are only temporary measures that are determined month by month basis. They are not designed for the long term, only for the short term. These will very likely go away once the company starts furloughs as the company tries to match pilot supply and demand.

Hope that helps, there are probably some other considerations as well, but those are the ones that come to mind…

SP

 

[QUOTE=SONORA PASS;3076394]LAXLUVR,

No apologies needed, and THANK YOU for your service to our country!

The biggest advantage of a VF over a COLA is the one that Cadet Driver pointed out: Flexibility. On a VF one has the ability to stay out doing something else for up to 10 years if things are going well enough on the outside all while moving up the seniority list as pilots are retiring. The VF can be very attractive for commuters with other employment options closer to home, or dual income families with young kids at home. When they return, these pilots can enjoy the benefits of improved QOL and assignment options. The VF also allows one to return to UAL much sooner if things are going better here than the outside assuming the company is offering recalls.

There is always a risk that things don’t turn around as quickly and recalls are delayed. A VF pilot can only return during a recall. In that case the COLA is safer as it gives a specific return date to UAL that does not depend on whether the company is recalling or not. The COLA works very well for a known length of absence.

The VF also has some other income advantages. One is the pilot will qualify for furlough pay, and this can be as high as 4.5 months of pay. Another is eligibility for unemployment benefits; a VF is treated as a furlough, and the pilot can file for unemployment benefits from his or her state unemployment office. Medical coverage advantages could be included with a VF as well, as the UAL pilots have a furlough fund that will help cover COBRA if the pilot does not have other health insurance.

As far as the ESRL/SRL, they are only temporary measures that are determined month by month basis. They are not designed for the long term, only for the short term. These will very likely go away once the company starts furloughs as the company tries to match pilot supply and demand.

Hope that helps, there are probably some other considerations as well, but those are the ones that come to mind…

Thank you!




Perfect! I think it was the furlough pay and the flexibility that I was groping for but your answer was excellent.

 

Any idea how many VF their was last time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Round figure 150ish. Everything from 747 Capt to NB FO.

Lee

 

I assume you still retain travel/family travel etc. JS privileges (w/ a current medical)? KCM?

 

Nope, just non-rev travel.

But if you find 121 pilot employment elsewhere you do have a priority bump when jumpseating on UAL.

 

I guess it’s hard to get through KCM and hitch a ride on the JS without a company issued badge.