AS Recalls?

[eskimopilot]

The Furlough MOU got voted down by about 90%. Clearly the idea of concessions to the company was anathema to the pilot group even if it saved jobs.
Why would we contemplate giving the company anything now?

 

[Green Banana]

What are you giving up? This is about the senior SEA guys being able to overnight on Maui.

 

[ghostrider16]

Base within a base is more efficient so less pilots required, if we do it we need something good in return that will last.....big bargining chip, the company wants this very badly....but they need etops pilots fast so they can't afford to screw around....displacing to an etops base is easy, nobody is going to actually move so it won't cost much except more pilot morale.

 

[flythere]

sounds pretty simple, sea is the bigger vote, if it goes to a vote system wide, I would think since sea is the biggest base, they would get the votes. Seems like they will throw the jr guys under the bus once again, considering those buses run pretty frequently out there to the north lot!

 

[Going2Baja]

Sounds like mixed reports as usual. All ETOPS to ANC? Displacements to ANC? New PDX base? The only think I believe is the Jan 12th bid will be out. "I hear" that the CO has three different plans in motion as said in the last CO email. 1) ETOPS in SEA, 2) Grow LAX &/or ANC, 3)New PDX. The CO is waiting to see if we cave to option #1.

Stand fast ANC & LAX!!!

Baja.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Personally I'm NOT in favor of the SEA ETOPS base. IMHO, both of the other scenarios (growing LAX/ANC or a PDX base) would result in more recalls and reupgrading.

And that's exactly why the Company is pushing for the "base within a base."

 

[flythere]

Which is why the company will probably sell this pretty hard to the senior guys and gals in sea. It will be interesting to see what the unions full position will be, ie; what the conditions will be for giving them the base within?

 

[Ocity]

Something tells me this is more about SEA guys wanting to get out of the freezing fog in Gig Harbor. I personally don't think the company cares that much about a base inside a base thing. They care that the flying be covered. By whom I don't think matters much. I say recall and grow the current ETOPS bases. This PDX thing is just a carrot. No telling how long it would last.

 

[AKMD80GUY]

This saves the company a ton of money. Think of hotel costs alone. The only cities that would have to have hotels would be SMF,SJC and OAK. That is a lot cheaper than having to have 6 crews stay at the SEA Hilton every night. As far as LAX is concerned, I told my rep to tell the company to go pound sand on this SEA base for the following reasons:

1) The company got another concessionary contract with this last one we signed. Aside from the slight pay bump hows this working out for everyone? Any one on reserve want to answer that?

2) The company decided to train LAX and ANC to save costs. OK fine but now all of a sudden it costs them more money to crew out of base. I'm sorry but the geniuses in Dockers should have seen this coming.

3) The company cut costs so far and reduced so much, they have no choice but to recall. They will use the furlough pilots as hostages for this. The company will say that unless we give them this, they wont be able to recall and it will be the unions fault.

All that aside, I think the option of opening a PDX base is the most obvious choice. You can open PDX as a co-Terminal such as in socal. We have so many PDX commuters that they will bid SEA and bid monthly for Hawaii out of PDX. No hotel cost in PDX and the hotel cost that they save in PDX can be transferred to paying for the rooms in SEA. Therefore as management likes to say, will be "Cost Neutral".

Unless the company come to us with a sweetheart deal, I don't see the SEA base happening. But then again as a middle of the pack guy on the seniority list, I still have to get my bed ready under the bus.

 

[Singlecoil]

They can't do PDX as a co-terminal. It would have to be a stand-alone domicile.

 

[AKMD80GUY]

They can't do PDX as a co-terminal. It would have to be a stand-alone domicile.

Too far?

 

[NWaviator]

Something tells me this is more about SEA guys wanting to get out of the freezing fog in Gig Harbor.QUOTE]

Freezing fog is a good point but moreover but they sure as hell want to get away from the Meth heads on the Key Peninsula. Target is getting scary.

 

[Fubijaakr]

I agree with you MD. Here's why:

This saves the company a ton of money. Think of hotel costs alone. The only cities that would have to have hotels would be SMF,SJC and OAK. That is a lot cheaper than having to have 6 crews stay at the SEA Hilton every night. As far as LAX is concerned, I told my rep to tell the company to go pound sand on this SEA base for the following reasons:

This is a true statement. The Hotel Committee guys have done numerous studies that indicate the Company could save $1M a month with a PDX pilot base. Back in the "olden days" the CP said on numerous occasions that the only thing keeping them from a PDX base was the MD-80. A single fleet type would make them seriously consider opening a base.

If you put the ETOPS flying in PDX the problem of staffing a Hawai'i flight with a short notice sick call evaporates...DH a reserve from PDX on QX. There's one every half hour.

1) The company got another concessionary contract with this last one we signed. Aside from the slight pay bump hows this working out for everyone? Any one on reserve want to answer that?

Again, exactly correct. I'm sure the Company would staff a SEA ETOPS base exactly like they did when we flew the 727s to Russia...train ALL the reserves to do the flying. That way they can draw coverage out of the general SEA reserve population.

A PDX base requires their own reserve force. All the more reason for the average line pilot to support this option. That will require upgraded Captains and furlough recalls. Not the Company's agenda.

2) The company decided to train LAX and ANC to save costs. OK fine but now all of a sudden it costs them more money to crew out of base. I'm sorry but the geniuses in Dockers should have seen this coming.

Why does this surprise you? Remember the ANC MD base for Russia flying? How did that work out?

3) The company cut costs so far and reduced so much, they have no choice but to recall. They will use the furlough pilots as hostages for this. The company will say that unless we give them this, they wont be able to recall and it will be the unions fault.

However the opposite is true, as usual. If the Union holds out against the SEA ETOPS base, there will be a requirement for more staffing in ANC, LAX or PDX and they will be forced to recall.

All that aside, I think the option of opening a PDX base is the most obvious choice. You can open PDX as a co-Terminal such as in socal. We have so many PDX commuters that they will bid SEA and bid monthly for Hawaii out of PDX. No hotel cost in PDX and the hotel cost that they save in PDX can be transferred to paying for the rooms in SEA. Therefore as management likes to say, will be "Cost Neutral".

I don't think we want to make PDX a co-terminal. You open that can of worms and what other cities could be co-terminals? JNU? LAS? PHX?

 

[CGHercster]

Does anyone here think it will matter what you do? 84 PERCENT of the pilots voted in that last 8 year CBA we're currently on. Fighting is futile. We're all the same... in the company's mind.

 

[Ad Lib]

Strangely we've been hearing about AS recalls on the DAL Coconut Telegraph. Probably just pilot rumor mongering, but a lot of fear that AA could make a move on AS to disrupt Asia feed in retaliation for DAL's interference with JAL. An AS recall would be preparatory for SLI in order to avoid furloughed hostages being taken.

Being off and on discussed in the Latest and Greatest thread on Airline Pilot Central.