Has ATA ever furloughed?

[propjob27]

I have an interview with ATA coming up, and I was just wondering if they have every furloughed. I know they have been around 30 years, but have they ever furloughed?

Thanks

 

[TriStar_drvr]

Yes. ATA currently has Flight Engineers on furlough who will never be called back as our B-727s are gone and our L-1011 fleet is rapidly shrinking. Also some pilots were briefly furloughed around 6-7 years ago when Stan Pace was president, and was trying to make the airline more lean and attractive for a possible buyout.

 

[njcapt]

Also some pilots were briefly furloughed around 6-7 years ago when Stan Pace was president, and was trying to make the airline more lean and attractive for a possible buyout.

Yeah, the furloughed guys had just enough time to find other jobs before ATA found they couldn't staff the airline properly and called them back. This is not an airline that staffs fat. They are about to choke now that the credit cap has been reduced back to 100 hrs per month. I'm projected at 93 hours this month and still expect some junior assignment calls. No thanks.

 

[jjbiv]

Why was the credit cap reduced? The program seemed to benefit both crew members as well as the company. Is ALPA starting to loose its patience with management? As a non-pilot employee, I was disappointed after reading about this on the EWS.

joe

 

[njcapt]

Consider the source of the message on the employee web site, Bill Beal.

The ATA MEC agreed to the quick adoption of the CRAF agreement to speed the implementation of its terms. This allowed the company to increase the amount of time a pilot was away from base, permit pilots to pick up previously-illegal-length trips over reserve and off days, and increase the cap to 120 hours. This was done quickly, with (I have been led to believe) the verbal agreement that the parties would meet to negotiate additional terms beyond the first month of the agreement.

The company jerked off the MEC on negotiations for three or four months until the pilot group rank and file pitched a fit. The subsequent meeting proved fruitless. Supposedly, the association pushed for some cost-neutral quality of life issues (unlimited passes for retirees et al) and accelleration of the value of trip guarantees. Bill and company choked on all the proposals, so the negotiators told the company to pound sand for further extension of the credit cap.

The reason that the union pushed hard for the cap during the last negotiation was that there were some pilots receiving upwards of 140 hours of flight pay per month. One specific check airman managed to 'earn' nearly 200 hours one month doing nav checks around the clock, while spending most of that time watching the movie in the back of the aircraft. Rumor has it that he made more than any other airline pilot IN THE COUNTRY that year. This under the terms of the pathetic Teamster's contract. All this was done with the tacit approval of the 'good ole boys' in management, since it could clear up the back log of incomplete checks in a couple of weeks. The cap was negotiated to stem the widespread whoring, illegal dealing initiated by scheduling, and to ensure reasonable staffing of the airline.

If the company really needed the cap relief, they would have honestly negotiated with the association on the minor items they requested instead of blowing them off and blaming them of being somehow unpatriotic.

 

[sayagain?]

pilot furlough

There was one newhire pilot that was furloughed after 9/11 for 5 days before being called back. He had gone though indoc and then was furloughed before starting sim training- but was recalled a few days later.