AirTran Pilots...

[XRMEFLYER]

We should all be "flying the contract" these days. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Lear70]

Hmmm... very strange.

There isn't a SINGLE trip in open time in CrewTrac for 717 FO's for the 23rd OR the 24th...

Did they just hide it so we couldn't see it? Or did they yank it so we couldn't see what was left when they start the J.A.'s? I thought it was a contractual requirement that it be left in open time so people could take it if they wanted?

Weird...

 

[BR715]

This is complete Crap. I'm getting f-c-ed so hard you don't even realize. Working on 2 day that I originally had off, and I mean I bid a reserve line with chrismas and new years off. How can you j assign a guy on x-mas eve and x-mas when he already had it off. I know you friggin can't. I feel for the traveling public I do. But maybe stranded passengers will make these guys in Orlando start bargaining in good faith.

P.S.
Kolski is an idiot
Klaus is a chode

 

[-9Capt]

BR715, Reserves can not be junior assigned under any circumstance, ever. Call contract compliance.

The trips have been assigned in reverse seniority order. Clearly a contract violation.

Remember this, you have the right to decline a junior assignment based on an important personal circumstance. If it is causing you problems, submit a LPR and decline the assignment.

Read the contract, page 5-3-8 to 5-3-10. This is a perfect opportunity for us to show our collective discontent, stand up and be a man.

 

[K-Mart]

This is complete Crap. I'm getting f-c-ed so hard you don't even realize. Working on 2 day that I originally had off, and I mean I bid a reserve line with chrismas and new years off. How can you j assign a guy on x-mas eve and x-mas when he already had it off. I know you friggin can't. I feel for the traveling public I do. But maybe stranded passengers will make these guys in Orlando start bargaining in good faith.

P.S.
Kolski is an idiot
Klaus is a chode

Call in sick.

 

[DougCorp-9]

Personal hardship. Period.

 

[ATA For Now!]

What a joke.

The worst part is ....nothing will be done about it.

 

[AFcitrus]

I normally don't make many comments here but I feel compelled to put my two cents in:

1) Am I happy I have to work through Christmas? no. Our company, however, got caught with their shorts down due to an oversight in the implementation of something (FLICA) that every pilot is happy that we now have. After giving all the incentives they "claim" they could - to include premium pay, positive space commuting tickets, and hotels - they didn't have enough people who wanted to help keep their jobs secure.

2) They did the next thing they could to protect the most important part of our business - our paying passengers. Could you imagine the tens of thousands of passengers getting stranded on Christmas eve because of a labor issue at our airline.
We all might get Christmas off next year and the year after.

3) You say well "it's not my fault their system messed up". No it's not, but you can certainly be a team player and be part of the solution that corrects the problem. Your generosity will most certainly be rewarded someday.

4) Most people who claim they had those days off, and are now flying, only got those days off because of a glitch in the system. Had that glitch not ocurred, they would not have been allowed to swap out of Christmas and would still be flying on Christmas. No harm, no foul.

5) The company was planning on and drafting people on Christmas anyway. So now you have a week to plan around your being drafted. Would you rather think your done with a trip on the morning of the 25th, only to have someone waiting at the gate with your draft notice for another three legs? I sure would rather have time to plan.
I'm sure you would all answer your phones on Christmas day when the company came calling for a JA.

1) Finally, we have a place (NPA website) and a process (grievance, injunction, etc) for this time of ranting. Using a public website to rant and whine (albeit warranted) about your company will get you nowhere. All it will do is weaken your airline's value on the "street" and jeopardize your family's well being.

Have a nice day and Merry Christmas

 

[FlyAirtran]

Very well said AFcitrus.

In my opinion if you have been at an aviation job less than 2 years (minimum). You should expect to work on Christmas period. You probably got hired thinking, "well im gonna have to work holidays" now it seems many are singing a different tune all the while thinking "someone else will cover it" you are right, someone else will cover your trip but it wont be pilots, it will be the 5 and 10 o'clock news along with CNN and FOXNEWS channels saying how Airtran canceled hundreds of flights over the holidays due to a computer glitch and lack of crews. No one will come back next year and we will all be out of a job.

Now dont get me wrong, I dont think the company did the right thing -- the way that they went about doing it was wrong (especially assigining reserves on their days off ) -- in fact in some aspects its very wrong. But think about why your here in the first place, because of the passenger and if they dont come back were all screwed especially if we are at the bottom of the list.

Like AFcitrus said, its better to know now then the day of. Fly it and Grieve it. Hopefully this pushes the company to get the contract settled more quickly and lets take this to a private forum.

 

[Lear70]

First, there is not just one issue that caused this to come about. It also had a LOT to do with our seat being short-staffed.

Second, don't throw some generalization out there that "MOST" of those who were off were only off due to some "glitch" in the system... I SPECIFICALLY BID for Christmas off. To get any of it off I could only hold a reserve line with the 22nd - 24th off (Christmas Eve), but it was better than nothing and I otherwise would have held a hard line, so I OWNED THAT DAY OFF. Period. Not through some computer breakdown.

Third, it's not "hundreds of flights". There were 63 uncovered pairings on the WORST day the morning they started all this (according to Planning), less on other days.

Lastly, do you REALLY think the public is going to have a long-term memory about that sort of thing? Nope. They go where the lowest fares are. Period. If we had an extensive work stoppage over a month or more, then probably yes. One hiccup? Got one phrase for you:

Northwest meltdown Christmas '04. Stranded THOUSANDS of passengers. They still came back.

I like it here as much as the next guy, but I SPECIFICALLY came here and turned down Netjets because I like being able to bid my schedule in advance. Period. If we quit having that ability during important holidays, then what the hell are we doing in an industry that has this cyclical CRAP we put up with every 7-10 years?

This treatment should NEVER be tolerated, as it undermines ALL for which we have fought and suffered.

You guys need to quit drinking the company kool-aid.