Greetings. The best answer I have to your question is "who knows." There are currently 56 on furlough. 6 of these are pilots who have chosen to bypass their recalls, while 50 of us are still waiting to get called. Acceptance of "voluntary recall" (working down the list in seniority) is as it says. Apparently, those 6 are working something better, but don't want to give up their numbers. However, once the recall works its way all the way down the list, it becomes "mandatory recall" in inverse seniority order, working back "up" the list. Bypassing mandatory recall results in removal from the seniority list.
Kind of funny way upper-management is playing this game. They are apparently trying to avoid these 56 salaries (along with 28 necessary upgrades) in an attempt to "keep costs down" and salvage quarterly numbers for the rest of the year. However, skeleton-crewing was a contributing factor in the cancellation of over 70 flights last weekend. (Not the only reason, but one of the main reasons as I understand it . . .) I guess in the game of airline finance, it is much cheaper to cancel flights, buy passengers full-fare tickets on other carriers, and build customer ill-will than to properly staff the airline. (Not being a "businessman," I have a difficult time understanding the logic, but that's what's going on anyway . . .)
So, there you have it. Chief pilot's office is rumored to have wanted 30 more bodies on the line for weeks now, but higher-up doesn't want the expense. The other rumor is that AWA will "pre-cancel" a number of flights in the coming months due to crew shortages -- so much for pre-September schedule! And as contract negotiations roll into the 26th month (or more? I lose track of how long they have been going on), things will continue to get interesting in Phoenix.
Hope this answered your question. "Your mileage may vary." Cheers!
