ASA fuloughed to get hired at Skywest

[ASA_Aviator]

Less flying by it's very nature also requires fewer pilots...You won't get the need for more pilots without more flying.

Wow Joe, you know the difference between fewer and less. I didn't think anyone on this site did.

"PBS means we need less pilots...."

What a joke these clowns are.

 

[Speedtape]

wow... you really enjoy that cool-aid..

PBS= farther away from a job for the furloughed

"PBS wont lead to furloughs".. they furloughed then pushed for PBS.. see what they did there?

Look at the facts:

1. Our economy was on a downturn, but the spiral was expedited by the scams in the financial markets and the approval of mortgages to un-credit worthy borrowers that borrowed money on arms and other high risk schemes. The economy faltered, payments went up, and mortgage defaults were bountiful. Loss of jobs followed, and every sector in the economy was impacted--including travel!

2. Delta cut back flying levels at mainline and all DCI carriers.
3. ASA was not insulated and lost thousands of block hours on a yearly basis.
4. Not enough work and too many pilots! Labor supply was greater than demand. Warning: Something has to give!
5. As a result of the above, pilot staffing was reduced by about 157 pilots to better reflect demand and save money.
6. Based on flight hours currently, after the furlough of 157, we are still overstaffed by at least 150-180 pilots based on a historical monthly average of about 84 hours per pilot.
7. We need about an additional 14,000 to 15,000 hours to justify current staffing.
8. Current staffing is contractually protected by the "no furlough" clause, which is an element of the scope clause, thus, we are carrying about 150 pilots, who would otherwise be furloughed.

Summary:
1. They furloughed because they could, contractually, but, more importantly, because block hours decreased drastically, and there were simply too many pilots. It had nothing to do with PBS.

2. Going forward, if PBS was implemented, no furloughs will result because of the contract. All those on seniority list at date of signing are protected.

3. However, as block hours are added through growth, either through economic turnaround or the capturing of flying from other carriers, PBS will allow more work to be done by fewer pilots. PBS eliminates conflicts with preassigments, including integration, and thus INCREASES pilot availability during the month. Also, since more pilots will be assigned regular lines, less reserves will be needed. Why? Because there will be very little open time after the initial bid--nothing compared to today. Nearly all known flying will be assigned in the initial bidding process. Reserve coverage will probably be reduced to estimated daily sick calls plus a small buffer. There will be no need for conversion lines as flight time will be assigned in the initial bid process.

4. At the very least, PBS will delay the call back of furloughees due to new efficiencies. They will only be called back when monthly flying averages increase to 84 hours per month on an annual basis for the remaining pilot group. However, even without PBS, going forward, call backs can be delayed with "smart" pairing building and good management of average line credits when building regular lines under the present process. Without PBS, crew planning just has to work harder.

5. Calling back furloughees is more of a function of increased block hours, than anything else. When the demand goes up(increased block hours), the supply of pilots will have to increase at some point. PBS will only prolong the call back to some degree, if it is in place.

6. Most importantly, and a fact to which strong consideration should be given, ASA is probably the only DCI carrier that does not have PBS. WE are at a disadvantage, cost-wise, and also from an optical perspective. Having PBS will not guarantee growth, but not having it, may guarantee no growth when opportunities are presented.