AirTran pilots, who ya voting for?

[Murphy]

It's day 4 of the 5 day Christmas debacle. First 2 1/2 days were at the premium (1.5x), Southwest pay rates. I had so much money I treated myself to the $20 breakfast feast at the Marriott in White Plains. Bill and Hillary were there and said they dig that "a" on the tail when it flies over their house. Last two days at the normal rates, I had to ask the homeless in Rochester over by the family dollar store for a handout so I could go to Subway for the $2.99 tuna sandwich. Thanks goodness the homeless had the Christmas cheer. Support your union and work to get what we're worth. We do the same job those Southwest boys and girls do and we can argue we are just as productive.

 

[Ty Webb]

We, the pilots, are every bit as productive as our counterparts at SWA. . . Unfortunately, it's our Planning, Scheduling, and Management that can't seem to play in the same league... the only area they come close to SWA is in the bonuses they pay themselves, which are larger than SWA.At least we're number one in something.... executive compensation.

 

[Lear70]

Support your union and work to get what we're worth. We do the same job those Southwest boys and girls do and we can argue we are just as productive.

HA!

Keep dreaming... have you even WATCHED the DVD the NPA put out?

Go ahead, take a good, close look at the pay rates that OUR union is TRYING to get management to agree to.

*hint* They're jetBlue CURRENT rates (or within $1 an hour of them).

Yes, those are the rates that jetBlue is so pi*sed off about that they're asking ALPA to represent them.

Oh, did I mention that they're not the "blended" rates, just base rate?

2nd hint: Once the Daves find out about the union meeting in a few weeks and they address JB Airbus pay, we'll be shooting for rates that are STILL the lowest in the industry.

The only way you're gonna see SWA rates is to go to work for SWA, FDX, UPS, ABX, or a legacy carrier on a widebody. Ain't happening here... at least, not with current leadership at the helm. Don't take my word for it, watch the DVD we put out.

p.s. OUR NPA is only asking for COLA for the F/O's. Hope you enjoy that Subway sandwich thing... If the Midwest deal goes through as anything other than a staple, you'll be stuck on those FO rates for a LONNNGGGG time.

Just a little reality check.

 

[md83drvr]

Well after SAP II, I wish I could go back and change my vote. I had so many request denied due to insufficent reserve coverage. Half of those request were into FEB bid. I emailed crewplan, they said they used projections for reserve coverage, anyone know if that meets the LOA.

Our union gave away our ability to improve our QOL. Thanks guys.

 

[bestpilot]

Well after SAP II, I wish I could go back and change my vote. I had so many request denied due to insufficent reserve coverage. Half of those request were into FEB bid. I emailed crewplan, they said they used projections for reserve coverage, anyone know if that meets the LOA.

Our union gave away our ability to improve our QOL. Thanks guys.

Maybee ole Leerdrivin Cat an yoo shoulz like be runnin fer office ifn yoo gotz all dem swers an stuff. If ya thinkz ennyone couldz do better dan AP and da boyz, paleeeeezzeee tell me hoo couldz be dat dude?

Naw, bro, I like votes fer who I wantz, den like I supportz da duude dat da memberz and stuff voted fer. So, like waht you wantz dees catz to do? Soundz like dey be tryin, so why you hatin so much, my brother from another mother? Yeah, boyee, I waz watchin dat DVD, and duuude, I was like thinkin dat waz a pretty ok deal an stuff. Dees peeps at least be thinkin abouts showin some FO luvvin, at leeests more dan evver before and stuff, so like wazzup wit da hate festivus and stuff?

Yoo crazy cats gots problems wit some peeps like AP and dat AF Citrusy dude, so like wahtz da deal? All da luv is gone, an now I be sad sad oo so sad.

 

[Lear70]

The trick in determining staffing coverages is to know what the company is using for the mysterious "x" factor, called the "daily variable".

They use a formula that takes the number of trips to fly that day, multiply them by that daily variable (5.6% for weekdays, 6.7% for weekends, 9% for holidays), then subtract out 43% of the published build-up lines.

Example: 334 Regular lines + 21 CDO lines = 355 hard lines

For a weekend drop (Fri, Sat, Sun), 355 * 6.7% = 24 pilots needed on reserve and buildup lines.

40 buildup lines * 43% = 17 available pilots from buildup lines.

24-17 = 7 NET pilots needed on reserve (the trick is that word NET, I'll get to in a second).

What the LOA fails to mention, is how they determine net available reserves.

Let's say you're trying to drop a Saturday and that there are 10 trips in open time that either START on Saturday or are carried into that day from trips in open time that started Friday, Thurs, or even a 4 day that started Wed.

Then let's say there are 12 reserves in your seat on Saturday. 12 reserves with 10 open trips = 2 net reserves.

Since there are 7 pilots in your seat needed from the formula above, and there are only 2 net reserves, your request will be denied.

I've been battling this all December, they inflated the "x" factor so high for ANYTHING in December, not just the holiday, that it was impossible to drop anything after about the 10th of the month. I had to call up and call "bullsh*t" on their staffing level. Why the frack do you need 27 NET reserves on the 18th when you already have 12 with NO trips in open time??!! They ended up agreeing and gave it to me, but I had to get to planning to do it.

Those numbers seem a little high to me (the "x" factor). Do we REALLY have historically a 5-7% no-show rate on our trips every day? If so, then the NPA was acting responsibly to grant them coverage and you need to look at the company's staffing level (which was what caused part of the Dec problem anyway) and ask why there are only 12 reserves on any given day for almost 300 trips (that's 4% reserve coverage, some of the leanest staffing in the industry - most majors carry almost 10% reserves on weekends).

Did a lot of scheduling stuff at my last carrier.

 

[Lear70]

Maybee ole Leerdrivin Cat an yoo shoulz like be runnin fer office ifn yoo gotz all dem swers an stuff.

No way my brutha, don't want none of that anymore. Just have a lot of experience with it and know when to call "bullsh*t".

If ya thinkz ennyone couldz do better dan AP and da boyz, paleeeeezzeee tell me hoo couldz be dat dude?

That's the problem, I don't know of anyone else around here who would who wants the job. Otherwise, I'd have been putting that in the "write-in" spot.

Naw, bro, I like votes fer who I wantz, den like I supportz da duude dat da memberz and stuff voted fer. So, like waht you wantz dees catz to do? Soundz like dey be tryin, so why you hatin so much, my brother from another mother?

I can only do that so far... when their agenda runs so contrary to mine, I have to speak my mind to my union reps and my fellow pilots.

Who knows... if there's enough of us out there that ain't feeling the love, there are provisions in the RLA for recall. Not saying that's what needs to happen right now, but if the Midwest deal happens and we don't get more love on the FO rates, I may be changing my tune.

Yeah, boyee, I waz watchin dat DVD, and duuude, I was like thinkin dat waz a pretty ok deal an stuff.

Well,,, yeah, of course! You're a CA here, 15% right off the bat up to 43% by the end of the term isn't a bad deal at all, especially on top of your pay rates, that's a respectable income, and you guys deserve it.

Dees peeps at least be thinkin abouts showin some FO luvvin, at leeests more dan evver before and stuff, so like wazzup wit da hate festivus and stuff?

All da luv is gone, an now I be sad sad oo so sad.

You're absolutely right... all the love IS gone, the FO's and junior CA's ain't feeling NONE of it.

It's the junior guys who got hosed for the Christmas debacle. You got to admit, that was just a bad scene that didn't have a good solution, but we could at LEAST have gotten SOMETHING for our givebacks, but we did it "in good faith". How much you wanna bet we ain't gettin' NUTHIN back "in good faith"?

They ain't showin' the FO's NO luvin... COLA raises (and not even that on years 5 and 6) and only getting about 20% of what the CA's are getting in a raise plus the music stopping on upgrades in 3 years unless we order more planes means that's a BAD deal for the FO's.

I luv ya, my brutha from another happier mother, but they need to either split up that pie a little more fairly or shoot a little higher for dat total increase in pay to be showin some lovin' this way. Dey do dat and I'll be all BOUT givin dem dat total support and stuff and put the Christmas probs behind me.

 

[twepilot]

Re: only Junior guys getting hosed...What kind of hire date are you calling junior???

RV

 

[Lear70]

I guess I did make a sweeping generalization... With the plan for them to Junior Assign in inverse seniority order, it's the junior people who are at risk first.

If you're a junior CA, you may very well have a hire date of '99 to '01 but still be relatively junior on the CA side (in the bottom 1/3 of the CA list).

It's all relative...

 

[mnboyev]

Ahhh...just fly your dam trip...have another bag of dill chips...it always makes me feel better.. Lord I hope we have some hotdish at the house when I get home !

I voted....where is my sticker?