FDX Update from the SCP

[PurpleTail]

For what its worth, here is some current info...

4. Hiring. I said before that we had stopped meet-and-greets and greatly slowed interviews. The last class of MD-11 Golden Nuggets will start on the 14th or so, along with other Purple Nuggets destined for the F/O and S/O seats on the Jurassic Jet. August, September and October should be large new hire months for us…than back to 24 a month or so. We’ll crank up interviews about the first of the year. Many of you had training dates slid because of the Golden Nuggets…..I know sorry doesn’t help, but it was the only way we could figure out how to have a chance to catch up. Expect a bid in late spring maybe.

 

[Falconjet]

SCP = System Chief Pilot for anybody wondering.

The above came out in an email from him this afternoon.

FJ

 

[capt_zman]

2 pilot 727's. WTF is that. Gee, we can save $65 an hour if we convert our 727's to 2 pilots, never mind the 40 year old airframe and 10000# of gas an hour. Seriously, does anybody else find this logic absolutely retarded?????

 

[Falconjet]

Here's something I learned today at the FedEx Council 26 (Memphis) meeting in regard to the retro pay/signing bonus issue.

It has been suggested on the board that the difference in the two was whether or not the money would count toward retirement earnings and such. In other words, retro pay would count towards your high 5 and B fund and a signing bonus would not. Well, that notion is incorrect according to the union officials.

Evidently, after lenghty consultations with labor lawyers and ALPA national, it has been determined that the main difference is that if the money is considered retro pay the company would have to go back each year and re-state their earnings.

Evidently, a signing bonus does not require such financial machinations by the bean counters. That doesn't however, mean that the money won't count towards taxible earnings, which means that it can still count towards your high 5 average and B fund contributions.

That is not to say that the company has agreed to either of those things yet, just that the semantics (or the name retro pay vs signing bonus) does not determine the status of the money in regard to high 5 or retirement funds.

To me that is very good news.

FJ

 

[Malter1]

2 pilot 727's. WTF is that. Gee, we can save $65 an hour if we convert our 727's to 2 pilots, never mind the 40 year old airframe and 10000# of gas an hour. Seriously, does anybody else find this logic absolutely retarded?????

Could you clarify what you're talking about for those of us not yet privy to JL's emails. Was he saying they're contemplating making a sort of MD-727?

 

[capt_zman]

From the email:

17. Aircraft. The A380 will be a FedEx freighter sometime this decade...right now, some time in 2009. If we had an entertainment system onboard (sorry to disappoint), that might be in jeopardy. The current narrow-body aircraft replacement race is a tie between all aircraft being considered, including the 2-man B727. Perhaps we’ll know more in a few months....

 

[Falconjet]

We'll call it the MD-727!

FJ

 

[XUSAir]

They have been doing a study on a 2 engine, 2 crew B727 mod. Much like the MD10 program. Crazy.............

 

[PastV1]

The 2 engine, 2 crew, B727 has been around for many years. There are a few flying in Canada from what I understand. And it's not just the $65/hr pay but also the training costs involved in the SO position. Besides that fact the airplanes are paid for and usually the most reliable ones we have. We'd have to save alot of gas to make up for a payment on some new jet.......

capt zman, you a KC10 type guy?

Past....

 

[AlbieF15]

...may have been a misprint...the TWO ENGINE idea has been bantered around with some seriousness...