SoCalGuy ... just piggy backing on your post!

I hope in the JCBA if we ever get one ... this premium for captain's (small "c") who fly the right seat goes away! If it doesn't ... and the Captain's want to do it for QWL, then any premium for captain's (small "c") who fly the right seat should be paid to the First Officers by divving it up to all the F/O's in that category. It's the F/O jobs these captain's (small "c") are taking when they fly the right seat.

 

....into a day off. No difference at all to my family.

Both are similar in that there is a penalty to the company for their not having enough pilots: one pays 1.5 and the other pays 1.5 or restore the day off.

I agree they are different in that junior man can be refused due to not available while, according to the company, a reassignment cannot be refused. More holes in the contract that have to be filled.

 

Yes, your are correct....Nothing new here.

...BUT, being "not exactly new tactics", there are quite a few "NEW" L-UAL Pilots on property now who were NOT around last summer. Those pilots 'maybe' able to hold bottom lines if more hiring (excuse me, 'job offers') is in the works.

It is my belief that with knowledge comes power. If the L-UAL guys/gals are better informed now about this topic, they may be better armed to handle (S)Crew Schedule this Spring/Summer when they come 'a knock'in. Can't be over-stated enough.

I 100% agree with you.

Just had my MV/LOE in Feb. The Capt I was paired with got his "one landing" in the right seat to qual him as "current" to man than seat. The whole Capt's flying the right seat has gotta stop.

Good summary.....something everyone needs to understand (their CBA rights) with the 'under-staffed' summer flying just around the corner.

 

On that I agree. It really is all semantics.

 

A maximum of 10 minutes in the right seat during annual recurrent does not make someone current and qualified if you ask me. If they were truly serious and concerned then they should put two captains together for an entire event to get 2 hours AT THE BARE MINIMUM. But I am not advocating that whatsoever as an end result. Just pointing out that there are better thresholds when it comes to qualified and current. It does need to stop PERIOD!

Besides, pairing two captains together increases the number of FOs paired together so no thanks. I did that once before two summers ago and I did 90% of the work in both seats. Not again!

 

Especially considering that this 737 CA may have never been trained in the right seat--ever. Not every new hire at CAL has gone to the 737 straight out of training. A decade or so later they bid 737 CA from widebody FO. So here's a commercial plane operating with one pilot who has never been trained in seat in which they're flying. Why the company's lawyers don't project out the "what if" scenario that could come from this is beyond me.

 

Two captains = half a crew.

 

Apparently, the FAA agrees, and approved an FOM that says:

"A Captain may be assigned as an augmenting First Officer on an augmented flight crew. In this case, such Captain may not occupy a seat at the controls for takeoff or landing."

So you have to wonder, why can't a captain who is apparently qualified to fly a whole trip in the right seat for time and half pay, isn't allowed to sit in the right seat on a routine no-extra-pay flight? If I'm not mistaken, the PIC captain can assign any of the augmented FOs to land for currency (or any other reason the PIC has). But not the captain? Is he not qualified? I can understand no left seat--the PIC has that, but no right seat? Why not? He's apparently fully qualified to do so.

 

Another thing that sucks is how our "negotiators" were able to screw the reserve pilots with the flying shutdown 4.5 hours prior to the min reserve guarantee of 76 hours. They abuse the hell out of you for the first two weeks, (32.5 hours for my first FIVE days) and then get you to 71 hours or so and won't fly you (per our contract!) so you won't bust guarantee.............yet they have NO problem paying a line holder 150% pay to fly the SAME trip they won't let you fly and they will have a line value of 100+hours! Who is negotiating this CRAP? Seriously..................

 

And you really think the way staffing is you aren't going to be flown past 71 hours??? No, you just won't have the ability to choose which of the c**p in open time is more palatable to work while holding your nose. On that, I agree with you 100%.