NWA Position Update

[jke406]

Please read this carefully:

We are interviewing MSA and PCL pilots.

(That verb was chosen for it's singular veracity)

The Flow Thru DOES matter! No vote yet...WTF?

I can't tell MSA pilots what to do on it, but I think they need to fast-track it. The NWA MEC is a bit "preoccupied" (<-- "PC" term for squabbling like 4-year olds) right now, so they won't do a lot of pushing. It'll be up to you to pull.

Good luck!

WTF are you talking about? I'm about to take a job there, I need to know.

 

[FmrFreightDog]

First 'Bus offering in Feb.

I don't get that at all. There were only 4 awards for Bus FO on the April APA. Seems like Feb. newhires would be hitting the line right about April. If they need Bus FOs for April, why not just award them off the APA instead of giving them to newhires?

Keep in mind, I'm new here and still have next to no understanding of the bidding process, so if I just asked a stupid question feel free to ignore me

 

[NuGuy]

Hi Guys,

An update as far as the thread topic is concerned:

The age 65 thing has reared its ugly head at NWA.

You can usually tell how well the planning is going at NWA by the timing of the position awards every month.

IF they know what they're doing and where the airline is going, the awards are early, say around the 17th or 18th.

If they don't, it's usually published on the contractual date (the 20th). If they REALLY don't know, then it's to the hour the contract requires.

Anyway, this month's award was published at the very last minute, and was 1/2 the size of the last two, and 1/3 the size of the 4 month average. There was VERY little movement, and almost no captain awards.

I'd say that movement has come to a screeching halt. There were no displacements on this award, but withthe ROPES coming back, that can only be around the corner once they figure out who is doing what.

You should factor this into any decisions that you make.

Nu

 

[Flyinhi]

Thanks Occam and Jam Bro for the info.

 

[another cfii]

Thanks NuGuy,

Please keep the info coming. Do you know how many ANC 47-200 SO they slot in each class?? I would hate to show up for class, and find out i'll be sent to ANC without much early warnings. (I'm pretty sure i'll be the bottom couple guys in class)

I need to make some decisions relatively soon

Merry X'mas!

 

[JoeMerchant]

I don't get that at all. There were only 4 awards for Bus FO on the April APA. Seems like Feb. newhires would be hitting the line right about April. If they need Bus FOs for April, why not just award them off the APA instead of giving them to newhires?

Keep in mind, I'm new here and still have next to no understanding of the bidding process, so if I just asked a stupid question feel free to ignore me

....already stirring it up at your new gig.....:beer:

 

[JoeMerchant]

Captain Wychor isn't the MSA MEC Chair anymore. He's working for National as the Organizing Committee Chairman.

The Peter Principle in action at ALPA.....

 

[JoeMerchant]

I can't tell MSA pilots what to do on it, but I think they need to fast-track it. The NWA MEC is a bit "preoccupied" (<-- "PC" term for squabbling like 4-year olds) right now, so they won't do a lot of pushing. It'll be up to you to pull.

Good luck!

That goes without saying...... the mainline will never "push" for the regional boys..... they're too busy screwing each other.... We're all on our own....

 

[Jiminmem]

I haven't run across any Pinnacle or Mesaba people that made it through without a stop somewhere else. I'm not sure if there is any specific reason behind it or if it is just similar to how AA didn't hire Eagle guys unless it was through the flow through. Hopefully we'll bring a few, I have many friends at both places that just wish to fly for their hometown carrier.

as for aircraft so far everyone ios getting the -9 or 74FE. The big rumor is that there will be a few bus FO's soon, but there were very few in the latest APA. Age 65 movement could have caused a few changes, who knows.

As for those worried, everyone in my class came from flying glass and no one has had much trouble in the 9 sim, just a lot of work.

Good luck to everyone and hopefully things will soon work out for everyone.

 

[Occam's Razor]

That goes without saying...... the mainline will never "push" for the regional boys..... they're too busy screwing each other.... We're all on our own....

You're back at it.

Has it been 28-days already?

 

[Occam's Razor]

Hi Guys,

An update as far as the thread topic is concerned:

The age 65 thing has reared its ugly head at NWA.

You can usually tell how well the planning is going at NWA by the timing of the position awards every month.

IF they know what they're doing and where the airline is going, the awards are early, say around the 17th or 18th.

If they don't, it's usually published on the contractual date (the 20th). If they REALLY don't know, then it's to the hour the contract requires.

Anyway, this month's award was published at the very last minute, and was 1/2 the size of the last two, and 1/3 the size of the 4 month average. There was VERY little movement, and almost no captain awards.

I'd say that movement has come to a screeching halt. There were no displacements on this award, but withthe ROPES coming back, that can only be around the corner once they figure out who is doing what.

You should factor this into any decisions that you make.

Nu

We'll see how your analysis plays out, but keep in mind, no ROPEs went back to window seats on this APA.

There would have been at least two A330 CA awards if Crew Planning had their arms around this thing.

Agree that they held off on this one. The 3rd floor was a mosh pit Thursday morning.

I don't look over Crew Planning's shoulder when they do the APA's, so I can't tell you what they're thinking for noobs, but I'm teaching on the A320 and my boss tells me I gotta be offline in Feb to train New Hires. They're not gonna pay me to do 17 seat-support events!

As you said yourself, the timing on this APA makes it look like they're not sure about captain positions WRT the fallout from Age 65. I think the lower categories are a little more solid since they're based on pure Marketing plans...and not regulatory blunders.

 

[Occam's Razor]

I don't get that at all. There were only 4 awards for Bus FO on the April APA. Seems like Feb. newhires would be hitting the line right about April. If they need Bus FOs for April, why not just award them off the APA instead of giving them to newhires?

Keep in mind, I'm new here and still have next to no understanding of the bidding process, so if I just asked a stupid question feel free to ignore me

Sometimes the driver is sim and IP availability. Everybody has to be somewhere, and if there's a bottleneck somewhere in the position "ladder", they stockpile in categories they think they'll need more for in the Summer. Narrowbody F/O was a disaster this year. I think they might be planning ahead*!





*A rare thing...but it happens from time-to-time.

 

[JoeMerchant]

You're back at it.

Has it been 28-days already?

....missed you too.....

 

[123]

I don't think that the company can afford to slow the hiring much, if at all, due to age 65. They really are in a picke, we really have only been hiring for attrition and a few extra bodies to reduce the monthly max's. With age 65, they now have no idea what the retirements are going to look like and with only a 2 week notice required for retirement, they have to keep hiring so that we don't go through the same summer meltdown. Worst case they get staffing to a somewhat reasonable level.

Just my thoughts (makes sense to me so don't count on it actually happening).

 

[123]

I don't get that at all. There were only 4 awards for Bus FO on the April APA. Seems like Feb. newhires would be hitting the line right about April. If they need Bus FOs for April, why not just award them off the APA instead of giving them to newhires?

Lately the APA's have been ping-ponging back and forth with high volume awards to the 320 one month and the 757 the next. I was surprised to see how junior the 757FO Reserve went in MSP (Almost hit guys hired in Sept/Oct 2007).

My uneducated guess is that training is a driving factor and the planners like to ramp up a fleet in the sim one month while the other fleet is finishing OE and conducting CQ's.