With all the Delta comparisons we are making this week, one seems absent. Seniority will get you one premium pay trip (green slip) at Delta, then you go to the bottom of the list so everyone can have a shot.

Unfortunately we eat our own here and this will probably never change. But the fact that the top 5% got to take advantage of the 300% pay in January while the rest didn’t see a single PP trip underscores the brokenness in our system.

Are there other companies that manage premium pay like we do?

 

I concur, one of the biggest changes here that needs to be made is to make things better for those junior in a category.

I know that seniority is essential here, but I think at United we've turned it into the idol to worship.

Seniority should have privilege, but it shouldn't be the end all be all.

We at United have the best opportunity for this type of change since once you can bid CA, you realize you don't really want to go to the bottom of a category again because it was so bad when you were hired.

Look no further than our inability to fill CA spots. This is the companies problem to solve, but in reality, pilots realize that there is always a reason we can't fill CA spots or WB FO spots.

I think that's an excellent resolution to bring up at an LEC meeting. You better bring your junior friends, because the senior mafia with nothing better to do will find out and show up in force to fight you.
Read up on "Robert's rules" before you go too, or you'll be laughed out of the meeting by the old timers because you didn't properly say "Point of order..."

 

at SWA, once your monthly trip total is over the monthly cap (115% of the average line value) you go to the back of the line. So junior guys get a chance to feed at the trough later in the month. If all bidders are over the cap, then seniority rules.

 

Fake news. 49%. Did 2 trips January and could do as many as I wanted may-sep. Averages 2x a month at 100% PP.

 

Spirit did it where after premium you would go down to the end of the call list. You still had advantages being senior such as dropping to get the time off early in the month during initial open time and be off as junior people wouldn't be able to drop trips. Their system still made things much more fair.

 

Maybe you are 49% now but there’s no way you were in January. Recent upgrade from senior FO?

PP was plentiful this summer. I’m not disagreeing with that.

 

Sounds reasonable. I’ve heard FedEx is first come first serve. What does AA do?

 

Another method is to have a Seniority Base trip trade window that month prior then after the window closes then FCFS for line holders during the duration of the bid period.

APU I would leave as seniority base until 24 hours prior for reserves then go FCFS for reserves.

The thing is what does a new APU window looks like. I think the window needs to be increased because the current isn’t great.

 

Are there any changes to this with the new contract?
TIA

 

There are changes, yes; however it’s difficult to gauge how any will be implemented since it’s the slow time of the year with little historic premium pay trips. Generally, though the rules are the same and I have a feeling that our reserve changes will make premium pay opportunities less than they had been, but they will still be there to some degree during busy times like the summer.