ASA, ATL Domicile Vacancies Expected Soon

[aircombat]

There comes a point when an airline must realize that adequately staffing the pilot ranks is simply "the cost of doing business".

We are adequately staffed for an airline with PBS. All of their eggs are in that basket. Why do you think we need it before the summer? They couldn't sell this LOA as not displacing pilots if they didn't push it in the winter.

 

[SLUF4]

I agree with sunlitpath on this one; we're getting obsessively cheap here...I heard the mechanics saying they have some new gloves to dig stuff out of the lav with (bottles etc that fall in there) and he described them as gloves like people at subway wear when they make your sandwich.

 

[sunlitpath]

We are adequately staffed for an airline with PBS. All of their eggs are in that basket. Why do you think we need it before the summer? They couldn't sell this LOA as not displacing pilots if they didn't push it in the winter.

Crew scheduling practices can be equated to the guy who doesn't fill up his gas tank until the low fuel light comes on. It works for a while, but it will occasionally cause a problem. PBS may solve the frantic atmosphere in the crew scheduling department, but we don't have it yet, and its effectiveness remains to be seen.

 

[COOPERVANE]

Crew scheduling practices can be equated to the guy who doesn't fill up his gas tank until the low fuel light comes on. It works for a while, but it will occasionally cause a problem. PBS may solve the frantic atmosphere in the crew scheduling department, but we don't have it yet, and its effectiveness remains to be seen.

Good analogy!!

Also,

Like a fireman with an extinguisher putting out small fires in a room in the corner office, while the whole building is ablaze around him.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

It is also a lot cheaper for the company to extend everyone up to your maxes than it is to hire or recal ppl. When it finally gets more expensive to do so, is when you will see them recall.
It takes about 30K in assignments to break even on recalling one person. I bet you are getting close, but not close enough.

 

[CFI2766]

There comes a point when an airline must realize that adequately staffing the pilot ranks is simply "the cost of doing business".

I get that it feels good to say this, but what you are saying here is at odds with your intent.

What is adequate? Is ASA canceling flights due to a shortage of pilots? Are line pilots being extended regularly? Are ASA's labor costs higher than they could be because the company refuses to add pilots? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your stance, the answer is no.

Labor is one of the largest 'costs of doing business'. Any good, successful, long-term business will be effective at controlling the 'costs of doing business'. To imply that ASA (insert any airline's name here) should incur greater costs which are above ASA's rivals simply for the quality of life of its employees is a non sequitur.

There is no easy answer here.

 

[Data]

I get that it feels good to say this, but what you are saying here is at odds with your intent.

What is adequate? Is ASA canceling flights due to a shortage of pilots? Are line pilots being extended regularly? Are ASA's labor costs higher than they could be because the company refuses to add pilots? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your stance, the answer is no.

Labor is one of the largest 'costs of doing business'. Any good, successful, long-term business will be effective at controlling the 'costs of doing business'. To imply that ASA (insert any airline's name here) should incur greater costs which are above ASA's rivals simply for the quality of life of its employees is a non sequitur.

There is no easy answer here.

Come on man, a logical, well put, concise statement like yours has no business in this forum. Please insert something like "scheduling blows" or "management sucks" to make it more palatable.

 

[777forever]

It is also a lot cheaper for the company to extend everyone up to your maxes than it is to hire or recal ppl. When it finally gets more expensive to do so, is when you will see them recall.
It takes about 30K in assignments to break even on recalling one person. I bet you are getting close, but not close enough.

Precisely. Why recall for the summer to furlough again in the fall? Plus its much cheaper to extend someone instead of recalling another pilot and not only paying that pilot guarantee, but also to retrain them and provide heath insurance, which is a big expense to the company. If we recall, they better be coming back for good, or at least a couple years.

I get that it feels good to say this, but what you are saying here is at odds with your intent.

What is adequate? Is ASA canceling flights due to a shortage of pilots? Are line pilots being extended regularly? Are ASA's labor costs higher than they could be because the company refuses to add pilots? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your stance, the answer is no.

Labor is one of the largest 'costs of doing business'. Any good, successful, long-term business will be effective at controlling the 'costs of doing business'. To imply that ASA (insert any airline's name here) should incur greater costs which are above ASA's rivals simply for the quality of life of its employees is a non sequitur.

There is no easy answer here.

Best post of the thread!

Come on man, a logical, well put, concise statement like yours has no business in this forum. Please insert something like "scheduling blows" or "management sucks" to make it more palatable.

Well said, well said. Like Jim Cramer would say, is ASA Goodwill? Is ASA the Salvation Army? Should ASA employ into unprofitablity? A business' number one goal is maximizing stock price for its shareholders.

 

[sunlitpath]

We'll see what happens this summer. The conditions of our summer schedule (chaotic, or reasonable and effective) will determine the success of ASA's scheduling model. If they increase staffing for summer, then it won't matter. If summer becomes a cluster FK, then the company and the pilot group will pay a price in cancelled flights and company wide aggravation.

 

[sunlitpath]

Today is Thursday. The CR7 captain reserve bucket for this Sunday is empty, and this is the slow season. I expect a few line holders will miss the playoff games when they are extended, and perhaps a few flights will be cancelled. We'll see what happens.

 

[aircombat]

Precisely. Why recall for the summer to furlough again in the fall? Plus its much cheaper to extend someone instead of recalling another pilot and not only paying that pilot guarantee, but also to retrain them and provide heath insurance, which is a big expense to the company. If we recall, they better be coming back for good, or at least a couple years.

Historically the company has been slightly overstaffed in the winter months in order to be properly staffed in the summer months. They aren’t going to furlough and recall every year for slight demand changes.
Since this year we furloughed in the fall, this winter we have been either adequately staffed or understaffed in every area. For the winter that’s fine but it is an indicator that it could bring a world of hurt for the summer schedule. PBS will solve that problem. Most line holders will be awarded the minimum number of days off. Problem solved.

 

[ASACRJFlyer]

Historically the company has been slightly overstaffed in the winter months in order to be properly staffed in the summer months. They aren’t going to furlough and recall every year for slight demand changes.
Since this year we furloughed in the fall, this winter we have been either adequately staffed or understaffed in every area. For the winter that’s fine but it is an indicator that it could bring a world of hurt for the summer schedule. PBS will solve that problem. Most line holders will be awarded the minimum number of days off. Problem solved.

Which is exactly why I will be voting NO when the PBS vote comes around, but that's an entirely different topic for another thread.

I truly hope the topic of this thread comes true and we see more flying on the 700 side, hopefully resulting in recalls of furloughs and the return of the displacees to the left seat.

Actually, what I would really like to see is hiring again at Southwest, Airtran, Delta, Continental (insert your major airline of choice here). That would solve this problem even more quickly. Then, PBS or not, ASA would have no choice but to hire because with the return of attrition, their staffing predictions for 2010 go out the window. Add to that the gradual phasing back in of retirements as the age 65 rule starts to take effect and... sorry, I'm starting to sound like an optimist and there's no place for that here on FI...

 

[Av8trix616]

When do we hear about our summer block hours from Delta?

 

[CFI2766]

Historically the company has been slightly overstaffed in the winter months in order to be properly staffed in the summer months. They aren’t going to furlough and recall every year for slight demand changes.
Since this year we furloughed in the fall, this winter we have been either adequately staffed or understaffed in every area. For the winter that’s fine but it is an indicator that it could bring a world of hurt for the summer schedule. PBS will solve that problem. Most line holders will be awarded the minimum number of days off. Problem solved.

Concur. This is the best summary of the thread.


Having read both of the LOAs (this took a while), I'm still not certain which way I'm going to vote. I'm leaning towards a yes in much the same way as I usually get a flu shot every year: a little pain now for the better chance at the future.

The best thing that will happen to ASA, and others, will be December of 2012.

 

[CFI2766]

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Scheduling blows and management sucks.

There, all better?