Smilton better get his act together. If DENTK isn't spooled up in the next 12 months he will have a difficult time keeping up with retirements. BTW. LCA's should think about taking a sabbatical until the JCBA is settled.

 

I sure agree with you a320, but what do we have instead lca¨s that have up to 50 hours in the bank, yep another group that always abuses the system.

 

Honestly, all I hear our (UA) guys say is "At least it's NOT Express". Having said that though, I'm ORD based and I'm sure an LAX A320 F/O on reserve has a different view on the matter. After all, I'm sure if we opened an A320 base in CLE this summer CAL guys would.. "play nice in the sandbox"....Right?

 

Please don't scare me with the prospect of commuting to CLE

 

I have to agree being a surplussed 320 Capt from LAX, that is a pretty bitter pill to swallow. If we had a TA and it was UAL as a whole that was bringing back 737's to LAX and we could all bid them I wouldn't have an issue with it obviously.

But this is going to have some negative implications no doubt about it. How about the United side brings 747's to IAH and the local IAH guys are unable to bid it and will be displaced because of it. Think there might be a problem with that?

I'm guessing so.

 

You know management has never seemed to figure this one out. It takes about 18 months to get a PI fully up and running. Where he can do all the stuff that needs to be done including MTV's MPV's etc.. It's not just a simple matter of running him through a transition course and doing OE. To just get qualed to be a basic PI with no checking authority you have to run through the transition course do your OE then come back observe a full transition course being taught, teach a transition course under observation. Same for all of the other training events. The whole thing takes time.

They are already behind the power curve.

I agree with the LCA comment too.

 

Its definitely a two way street on this. UAL is doing IAH-LIM already with plans to start EWR-ZHR, EWR-BRU and I think EWR-AMS. CAL is losing its coveted 8 day Pacific trip out of IAH on the 767-400 ect, ect.

The LAX flying that will be occurring isn't any new flying and can't be. CAL served the city pairs prior to the merger that the LAX base will be doing and that's all they will be able to fly.

I know its a bitter pill to swallow and rumor has it our LAX guys will be using the UAL crew room for check-ins. I'd say that over 50% of the LAX Captains will be scabs on our end so it should lead to some interesting discussions .

 

A fly on the wall......

That'd be fun.


The point being they'd better get this contract worked out and the SLI or this thing is going to go down in flames. Too much them vs us equals bad news.

 

Or how about all the furloughed folk who see the routes (ORD-FLL for example), they once flew now flown by CAL recalls. This crap started a couple years ago, lets not forget that.

I have no beef with my CAL brethren, I know they hate this as well and never asked for it either. But until a JCBA and SLI, it is just more teleportation of career existence/expectations from one side to the other, CAL being the obvious net winner. With all respect, I think the more senior you are the less you realize how big a hit this has been.

Next we will have CAL planes parked and probably more UAL furloughs (maybe some of us for the 3rd time-yeah). Don't get me wrong, the fight should not be between us, but world peace means nothing when your entire career has been stripped away. Anything less than meaningful contract restoration and fair SLI integration is pretty much useless kumbaya mantra.

I just want my frickin career back, you know the one that started 12 years ago. I'm sure 1436 others would agree.

Peace-

Kc

 

100% TRUTH my friend.