Southern Air Interview Gouge

[dakotaHC8]

CASS...?

I'll be traveling first class on Delta to work thanks to my Platinum Medallion status giving me free upgrades.

My wife and kid are traveling First Class to Cali this holiday on my miles too.

Compare this to the headache of begging for the jumpseat, or worrying about getting bumped when riding Space A and you can see why I could care less about CASS.

Home Basing with Southern is one of the reasons I chose to work there.

Just saying.

 

[gringo]

CASS...?

I'll be traveling first class on Delta to work thanks to my Platinum Medallion status giving me free upgrades.

My wife and kid are traveling First Class to Cali this holiday on my miles too.

Compare this to the headache of begging for the jumpseat, or worrying about getting bumped when riding Space A and you can see why I could care less about CASS.

Home Basing with Southern is one of the reasons I chose to work there.

Just saying.

Yeah, that's nice for those of us living in one horse towns served only by one or two different airlines.

But for the rest of us living in JFK, MIA, ORD, LAX...

My miles are spread out between Jet Blue, Ethiopian, United, Malasian, Turkish, American, Delta, Air Frog, ANA, Korean, Lufthansa and I'm sure a few others... I've got me just enough miles on any one airline to upgrade to a free bag of peanuts.

I can't wait for CASS to get online.

Plus, as I understand it, it's mandated by the TSA, so the point is moot.

Plus, if we do CASS right, we can institute a travel bank, much like Evergreen. Company pays you for a ticket; if you can jumpseat, then you get a percentage of the money saved...

 

[skypine69]

Plus, if we do CASS right, we can institute a travel bank, much like Evergreen. Company pays you for a ticket; if you can jumpseat, then you get a percentage of the money saved...

Thats not really the intent of the jumpseat.

 

[gringo]

Thats not really the intent of the jumpseat.

I know, the real purpose of the jumpseat is to enable pilots to get around easier (i.e., a way to get your nuts to the party, as someone once told me) but there seems to be a big fear at SAI that if we go CASS, we'll automatically lose home basing.

I'm just saying it would be nice to have the same benefits as almost all of our brethren in this industry enjoy.

 

[cheyflyer]

My miles are spread out between Jet Blue, Ethiopian, United, Malasian, Turkish, American, Delta, Air Frog, ANA, Korean, Lufthansa and I'm sure a few others... I've got me just enough miles on any one airline to upgrade to a free bag of peanuts.

...

Im not sure how it works but I think there are places where you can pool, or consolidate your points from different companies such as airlines, hotels, creditcards, etc.. all into one account. In your case I would look at that. Like I said Im not sure how it works and not even sure something like that is available but it would be worth looking into. Seems like I heard them talking about it on one of the morning shows a year or 2 ago.

Jumpseat commuting was one of the main reasons I left the airlines after 16 years to go corporate.... fwiw.

 

[FearlessFreep]

After 20+ days out on the road, I don't want to go anywhere!

Home basing is the most important aspect of working with SAI. I really can't stand that some individuals think that CASS is more important than that. The majority of people that work at SAI DO NOT WANT TO GIVE UP HOME BASING. It is just some noisy RJ / Airline types that are flapping their gums in the loudest and most obnoxious way to make sure that they get what THEY want, and not what the majority of the people want. Whatever happened to representation? I am sick and tired of this fr*ggen union telling me what I want.

Make SAI just like everybody else? Yeah right, guess what, SAI isn't like "everybody" else. It is ACMI!!! That makes it different. This isn't a scheduled operator. Is that a concept that you can understand boys and girls? If you want a scheduled operator lifestyle then go back to pushing RJ's across the skies. Don't be so presumptuous to think that just because you started working at SAI that your going to change the nature of the company and the operation to suit your desires.

I am sure that many are going to retort, "we won't lose home basing". Well I have heard "we won't lose X" too many times and watched what we have had evaporate. The legacy of WC still lingers and it will take as long as his tenure to get back to "normal".

I don't want a f**king travel bank, don't need jumpseats to go carousing around the countryside. Don't want to have to book my own travel or try to get a jumpseat to EHAM, EDDF, VTBS, OMDB, VOMM, VIDP, ZSPD, etc.

There is so much stress as it is working at SAI, we don't need the addition of trying to get to work on our dime/time.

There are a lot of things that need improvement at Southern. CASS is not even on the list. There are so many pay issues, grievances, and work rule issues that need to be addressed first. CASS is just a Red Herring to placate people that are too ignorant to see the real issues.

End Rant.

 

[Talon757]

Plus, if we do CASS right, we can institute a travel bank, much like Evergreen. Company pays you for a ticket; if you can jumpseat, then you get a percentage of the money saved...

I don't have a dog in this hunt but I can tell you that if one is caught doing this sort of thing there are several carriers that will revoke your jumpseat privileges. Essentially, if your employer is obligated to buy a ticket and you jumpseat instead to pocket a portion of the money you have stolen revenue from the carrier. At least that's how they look at it.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Company pays you for a ticket; if you can jumpseat, then you get a percentage of the money saved...

There's probably no faster way to lose jumpseat privelages than jumpseating for company business.

 

[GogglesPisano]

World was both home-based and CASS when I was there. It can be done.

 

[dojetdriver]

I don't have a dog in this hunt but I can tell you that if one is caught doing this sort of thing there are several carriers that will revoke your jumpseat privileges. Essentially, if your employer is obligated to buy a ticket and you jumpseat instead to pocket a portion of the money you have stolen revenue from the carrier. At least that's how they look at it.

I don't have a dog in the fight either. But the guy did mention the word "travel bank". UPS/FedEx has them also. He did not imply at all that the company buys the ticket FIRST, then he opts out.

It's my understanding that if the pilot at some of the aforementioned companies use it, it's more along the lines of the pilot telling the company something like;

"DON'T buy me that DH ticket that routes me through (insert legacy hub here). I will find my own way home, thank you. Put the balance (or applicable percentage/accepted fare) into my travel/deviation account."

Not once did said pilot put his JS agreement in jeopardy. He's doing nothing different than a pilot electing NOT to take his dead head back to his domicile when he can just jumpseat straight home from wherever he is on another carrier.

 

[skypine69]

I don't have a dog in the fight either. But the guy did mention the word "travel bank". UPS/FedEx has them also. He did not imply at all that the company buys the ticket FIRST, then he opts out.

It's my understanding that if the pilot at some of the aforementioned companies use it, it's more along the lines of the pilot telling the company something like;

"DON'T buy me that DH ticket that routes me through (insert legacy hub here). I will find my own way home, thank you. Put the balance (or applicable percentage/accepted fare) into my travel/deviation account."

Not once did said pilot put his JS agreement in jeopardy. He's doing nothing different than a pilot electing NOT to take his dead head back to his domicile when he can just jumpseat straight home from wherever he is on another carrier.

Nope.....at Fedex the travel bank is used for when the crewmember finds a cheaper way (not free on the jumpseat) or goes a different route than the company books him.

 

[dojetdriver]

Nope.....at Fedex the travel bank is used for when the crewmember finds a cheaper way (not free on the jumpseat) or goes a different route than the company books him.

Thanks for clarification. Are there not other operators that are along the lines of what I was thinking? Thought I'd talked to more than one guy and that's how they explained it.

 

[dontpost2]

Agree

After 20+ days out on the road, I don't want to go anywhere!

Home basing is the most important aspect of working with SAI. I really can't stand that some individuals think that CASS is more important than that. The majority of people that work at SAI DO NOT WANT TO GIVE UP HOME BASING. It is just some noisy RJ / Airline types that are flapping their gums in the loudest and most obnoxious way to make sure that they get what THEY want, and not what the majority of the people want. Whatever happened to representation? I am sick and tired of this fr*ggen union telling me what I want.

Make SAI just like everybody else? Yeah right, guess what, SAI isn't like "everybody" else. It is ACMI!!! That makes it different. This isn't a scheduled operator. Is that a concept that you can understand boys and girls? If you want a scheduled operator lifestyle then go back to pushing RJ's across the skies. Don't be so presumptuous to think that just because you started working at SAI that your going to change the nature of the company and the operation to suit your desires.

I am sure that many are going to retort, "we won't lose home basing". Well I have heard "we won't lose X" too many times and watched what we have had evaporate. The legacy of WC still lingers and it will take as long as his tenure to get back to "normal".

I don't want a f**king travel bank, don't need jumpseats to go carousing around the countryside. Don't want to have to book my own travel or try to get a jumpseat to EHAM, EDDF, VTBS, OMDB, VOMM, VIDP, ZSPD, etc.

There is so much stress as it is working at SAI, we don't need the addition of trying to get to work on our dime/time.

There are a lot of things that need improvement at Southern. CASS is not even on the list. There are so many pay issues, grievances, and work rule issues that need to be addressed first. CASS is just a Red Herring to placate people that are too ignorant to see the real issues.

End Rant.

I agree with this rant.

Anyone try to jumpseat these days?

Keep it the way it is! Home basing with a good, flexible corporate travel program is the way to go.

 

[unwashed]

Good rant, but there are companies out there who home basing and CASS. Even some that have CASS and a travel bank. How do your Union officials get to Conn to deal with your grievances? Jump-seat, no, buy a ticket? or used your assessment fund to fund travel? There is slight more at stake than just you. Sorry back to the tely.

 

[jercdevil]

Doesn't the union contract take care of this? If you negotiate home basing then you get home basing. Southern is the only airline that is not Cass.

 

[dakotaHC8]

My miles are spread out between Jet Blue, Ethiopian, United, Malasian, Turkish, American, Delta, Air Frog, ANA, Korean, Lufthansa and I'm sure a few others... I've got me just enough miles on any one airline to upgrade to a free bag of peanuts.

My town is served by all major carriers too, you just have to learn how to manage your miles Amigo. Miles on the carriers you don't or can't use still count.

I collected together enough hotel points and airline miles at places and carriers I have no plans on using to have 650$ in retail gift cards (staying at the Holiday Inn in Liege all those times by itself was worth 300$). I bought a new GPS from Best Buy, and a new handgun from Bass Pro Shop.

As with most things Southern, you just have to learn to make lemonade from lemons...

 

[gringo]

My town is served by all major carriers too, you just have to learn how to manage your miles Amigo. Miles on the carriers you don't or can't use still count.

I collected together enough hotel points and airline miles at places and carriers I have no plans on using to have 650$ in retail gift cards (staying at the Holiday Inn in Liege all those times by itself was worth 300$). I bought a new GPS from Best Buy, and a new handgun from Bass Pro Shop.

As with most things Southern, you just have to learn to make lemonade from lemons...

New handgun from Bass Pro Shop???

Guess I'll have to dig a bit deeper!

Bring on the lemons!

(And the vodka!)

 

[dakotaHC8]

Points.com is a good place to start, gives ya an idea of what retailers participate with each carrier/hotel. If you don't have a rewards program on your credit card by now, get one too.

take the time to dig through one of the airline website, look through the mileage programs redemption page, and you should find a section that allows you to trade miles in for retailer gift cards. Some Airlines are better at it than others. Delta and American are real good, United and US Airways... not so much.

When it comes to hotel programs, it's the same thing. Even stays at some dump like the Comfort Inn can add up to enough miles to add up to some card somewhere. Even if you cannot collect enough points for something like a Best Buy card, you can push the miles you have over to a airline like American to help push your AAdvantage account to where American will buy you that Best Buy Card.

It takes sometime online to sift through your various credit card, airline, and hotel programs to see what you can move around to maximize your redemptions. But it's worth it to get something outta the miles/points you otherwise would not use

 

[aquila]

Still Hiring?
Thanks

 

[swordfish]

Still Hiring?
Thanks

yes!!!!!!