CAL bid?
 

Any idea on a timeframe on when the next CAL bid will be posted? Contractually do they have to have one by a certain time of the year?

Looking forward to getting back to either property before the end of the year.....is this a realistic possibility? :eek:

First & foremost....nothing 'new' or earth shattering.

Under CAL's POS'02 CBA.....The company is contractually bound to post 2 system bids a year. In the past (if history comes remotely close to repeating), there is has been a bid in Jan-Feb-Mar time frame, with a second bid taking place mid-late summer...Jun-Jul-Aug.

Nothing new to post other than 'rubblings' of "out any week now":confused:

Hard to say....
How deep are you on the 1400+ UAL furloughs?? Are recalls going to by-pass at a rate of 9:1 vs 3:1?? When for 'certain' is the 787 going live with revenue?? Will CAL try to run staffing even thinner (vs. beefing up) as summer-time flying approaches??

Too many factors to give you anywhere in the ballpark of an accurate answer....Just hope it's sooner than later Shrek. Hang in there.

No.

Take a look at the January 26, 2011 fleet plan. Loss of of a B747-400 and B737-500. Only taking 4 new B737 the rest of the year. Companies commitment to reduce number of seats in the market to increase ticket price.

Not looking good for an increase in pilots anytime soon. Hope I'm wrong.

Not looking good my green ogre friend. I think you can refer to United's fleet planning, painting schedule and most importantly the incessant rise in fuel prices to make a safe bet that capacity increases are highly unlikely.

Unfortunately DAL's reaction to rising oil by parking 81 mainline jets and 93 RJ's by the end of 2011 points candidly at the direction the industry is going to go and it's going towards putting more market power in the hands of the airlines.

As fuel prices go up, the legacy industry solution so far has been to curtail capacity and increase pricing power to compensate. This was something very difficult to do just a few years ago, but because of consolidation and focus on international alliances and joint ventures, I don't think the legacies have much appetite to fight for low margin domestic revenue. They're leaving that to the nationals (JB,SW and to some degree USAir).

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but thats what the powers that be are saying in their own words and the Delta move affirms the thinking.

Recalls? Well I keep hearing people say that the contract will generate 500 recalls right off the bat...I'm skeptical however, but I am not experienced nor learned in the results of CBA's so I'll defer to the common opinion and more seasoned commentators.

Here's one ray of sunshine. Like SoCal said, it all depends on the recall acceptance rate. I've got mates at AA that are saying their HR is grumbling because they're making 9 calls to get 1 warm body back at the school house. At that rate, they'll burn through their list mighty quick and may hire off the street by 2012. Let's see, but 9 to 1 is pretty damn high and it's for obvious reasons why which are mundane to debate here.

The bright spot you ask? Well, if indeed 500 bodies are generated out of the contract, retirements or whatever, then even at a reasonably expected 3 to 1 bypass rate that will cover the 1437 out wandering the woods.

For me, I cling to that as the only good, solid, mathematical bright spot out there.

Praying for you brother, praying you'll back in Tornado Alley soon. ;)

Thanks for the quick response and very sobering thoughts indeed.

Maybe it's just me but I would rather like to eat rice becuse I CHOSE to not because I HAVE to.....lol.

From Sec 24

At least two (2) System Bids must be awarded each calendar year. These
awards must occur no more than eight (8) months apart, one in the period
January through June and the other in the period July through December.

......not counting on any good news
 

Shrek,

Heard from shipmates that are still on the bottom of the list on the Slave Ship (LCO Airbus) that the 570 will sell us down the river if it will benefit them in anyway.


12 years wasted.

Which 570 are you talking about selling you down the river?

You mean there's more than one?

Were screwed.

LOL! That sentiment's not restricted to the 570 among active UAL pilots.

Thanks for the laugh.

That fleet announcement was comparing end of year 2007 to end of year 2011. Most of those planes were already being retired or have been retired. The biggest reduction in 2011 is coming on the RJ side of their operation. The mainly reduction will be 34 DC9s still in the fleet BUT an increase in MD90s and a few other international aircraft. So the mainline side of the house is not taking the big hit that the numbers you quoted might indicate...they were already planned or have already occurred.

I know it doesn't feel like it but many of us still on the property have not forgotten any of you.

I couldn't agree more. Hang in there, bro.

Union just put out bid out soon with 60 crews in LA.

Many thanks to the CAL (and UAL) pilots who have been keeping us in the loop, even when the information is not confirmed, it helps more than you know and is more than anyone else has provided us.

Nice :mad: !!!!

LAX bid
 

Did this come via the CAL MEC Friday update? Can you post the letter on here, if that is the case?

Thanks for the post.:cool:

Is this the reason for all the recalls (147) to happen at CAL or will there be more crews needed in the future to staff LAX

The flying planned for the new LAX base will be mostly what the CLE B737 base has been doing, "Hawaii." It was very inefficient and took a lot of crews to operate. With the new LAX B737 base the pairings will be much more productive and hence less pilots needed.

The only reason CLE B737 base was assigned this flying in the first place was it was the smallest base and the easiest to train for LRN/ETOPS operations.

It's all about saving money. Less pilots-less money. Not what you want to hear when your on the street.

CAL MEC News (02-04-2011)
SCHEDULING
SYSTEM BID
At the time of this writing, the next system bid is due out soon. After much work by your System Staffing Committee, the bid will include an LAX base with approximately 60 B-737 crews.

Thanks for the post. We will see if any of us at the top of the UAL list get a chance from this bid.

Downers say NO, not anytime soon.
Dreamers say 400 recalls.

I think it is somewhere in between, but not manana.

Does anybody think (U)Cal is going to bring back any furloughed (UA) pilots to fill the openings created in the other domiciles, vacated by those (Cal) going to LAX? Or, are they just going to run short(er)? I'm trying to be optimistic, but don't see any of us getting recalled until there is a new JCAB, at the earliest, or more likely, movement (retirements).

From what I hear from the CAL Pilot recruitment dept do not expect a recall until LATE summer--Also I hear some 570's are "pulling up the ladder I got mine" all over again.

I think all the 1473 should be called back BEFORE any new bases or routes are added. The whole RJ-70 debacle is upsetting at best.

Things can change of course.....I was pretty upbeat last year but from the cheap seats the MEC aint impressing me all that much.

What do you mean by that?

Just askin'... I'm not a 570 or anything.

60 CREWS?

That will make LAX bigger than GUM.

The LA flying is already there. They are just shifting the crews there from CLE and IAH. This will not require any new pilots. It will save the company thousands from eliminating hotel costs in LA.

Well that's good news.

May want to re-run those numbers......
Staffing in GUM for Feb:
CA: 62
FO: 77 (IRO considerations)
Que Paso??

Sorry, I was looking at the last system bid results and comparing...even then my math calculation was off (forgot to carry the 1!). 12-03 states 57 CA/66 FO slots = 123

There's that crayon again, lol.

Had me worried.
Simple math is not my forte either.....thus the Career Counselor suggested being a Pilot;)

I hear ya. You know FL210, FL220, whatever it takes! :D

BID 12-05 is out.

Reduction of (32) FO positions
Increase of 32 CA positions

60 737 CA LAX
58 FO LAX

LAX to be operated ..."After lengthy evaluations of the distribution of the B737 flying this bid will also open an LAX
Base. This new Base opening is in accordance with the CBA and the Transition and Process
Agreement, and as such will support flying to HNL and OGG as well as domestic flying
through IAH, CLE and EWR. The LAX base may be operated as a co-terminal with SNA,
ONT and BUR. The anticipated opening date for LAX will be the May 2011 bid period. All
pilots holding LAX will be ETOPS trained to support flying to Hawaii."

Furlough Class dates not affected.. No new vacancies
Back to commuting for me. And no further recalls.:mad:

Thanks for the info.

The company will delay having to recall anyone else under the guise of not wanting to have to recall to CAL only to have them leave back to UAL. When in fact there will be no more recalls on either side. Our credit ranges are very high on the CAL side and this the slowest time of the year, this summer is going to suck. I think they just don't want to add any more no votes to a substandard JCBA.

This Summer is going to be great! If this Summer sux for any CAL pilot, shame on them. I guarantee you that UCAL management isn't planning on burning the midnight oil or canceling vacations.

If any pilot "individually" wants to do their part in achieving a superb contract and getting UAL furloughees back on property, this Summer should provide such an opportunity.

I am just talking about the credit ranges that PBS will build. The lines are going to suck and the Splat will move very senior, I was splated at 41% in December so that is what I am talking about it sucking this summer.

what is this substandard JCBA?....are you talking about the one that has not been seen or even presented to the group yet??

Sounds very fatiguing.

Not sure if I could keep up with a schedule like that. Years ago when I held a line the summer schedules were often onerous and fatigue inducing.

BTW, what is this Splat of what you speak? Getting "splated" sounds fatiguing as well. Just reading about it makes me....fatigued.

I think I need to lie down.