The REAL NJ TA Story

[Big Wave]

AMEX Card--Just The Facts

Trying to take the "glass half full" perspective:

The assumptions (there’s that word) below are based on current use of the Hilton AMEX:

As I understand it, the AMEX provides the benefits below:
a. 5 points/dollar spent at Hilton properties
b. 5 points/dollar spent for gas, groceries, restaurants, wireless phone service
c. 3 points/dollar spent for everything else

Also, as I understand it, HHonors Diamond status provides the following:
d. 10 points/dollar at Hilton properties (Hampton Inns apply this to room charges only)
e. 5 points/dollar Diamond status bonus

Your “Double Dip” selection (from the “MyWay” choices on the HHonors website) allows you to choose between points plus: variable airline miles, fixed airline miles (500), or an additional 500 points.

So, using the “Point Calculator” on the HHonors website, a one-night stay in a $100 property yields the following:
500 AMEX points
1000 HHonors base points
500 HHonors Diamond points
500 miles, or 500 additional points (depending on your “Double Dip” selection)

So, I guess I'm “assuming” (yikes!) that the only HHonors points loss in switching to the company card is that “500± points per single-night stay” (round figure from “a” above).

But, I was a poli-sci major, and the above calculations qualify as "higher math". They are, therefore, suspect.

 

[ramf001]

Big Wave,

You are correct about the Company Card vs the Hilton AMEX. The people running around saying they are losing thousands of dollars per year are ignorant of how it actually works. I've used both and when you break it all down in a worst case scenerio the max Hilton points you lose is about 2-3 nights worth of points. However you gain an airline ticket. Under the new TA you gain even more.

You have to seperate the Diamond Reward program from the card itself. I use the company card so when I stay at a Hilton (assuming it's a $100 stay) I get 1500 points, 500 airline miles, and 100 GE reward points. When I used the Hilton AMEX I would get 500 more hilton points instead of the 100 GE points.

So to finish this up: Worst case scenerio...

24 weeks on the road @ 6 hotels = 144 nights.
$100 average night X 5 points per dollar=
72,000 points. That's not quite 3 nights in a hotel.

Thousands of dollars? I think not. By the way my example is based on spending 144 nights in nothing but Hiltons. I sometimes go whole tours without staying in a Hilton.

 

[RTRHD]

Come on guys,are you really worried about points. I mean thats exactly what I want to do when I get back get on another airliner and go stay in a hotel. (sarcasm intended) We get plenty anyway I donate most of mine to military family's.

 

[VVJM265]

Who are you and what have you done with FLYLOW. :laugh:

Having flown with the dude....that's friggin funny!

 

[Humphreybogart]

Thanks for all who responded, it cleared things up for me. It seems the positives outweigh the negatives by far, of this new TA.

 

[FLYLOW22]

Having flown with the dude....that's friggin funny!

And that was a good week!

 

[FLYLOW22]

Thanks for all who responded, it cleared things up for me. It seems the positives outweigh the negatives by far, of this new TA.

A win-win agreement that put all of us as a company in a better place WITH the TA than without.

Yes.

 

[fischman]

Humpy,

I understand your skepticism. I would be skeptical too looking in from the outside.

This deal started out to be a win-win from it's inception. I was skeptical as HELL at first.

In the end, it was a win-win.

What did we gain? Stuff.

What did we lose? Stuff.

In the end, it was all a horce a piece.... pretty much a wash.

The F/Os got a HUGE helping hand. What's good for them is good for me in the long run. I received good things as a PIC too, not as much though. They were due much more.

Following the labor strife of 2005, we needed this.

What did we gain that can NEVER be put into the writing of any CBA? Mutual respect for each other (management and labor) as one team and a reinvested energy to work through issues together.

That is just priceless. Period.

You forgot the biggest thing!!!!!

The 2007 CBA secured better job security for NJA and NJI pilots by making ALL future NJI new-hires part of the union. Essentially, they are working on merging the two companies. This is good for ALL of us!

 

[gutshotdraw]

You forgot the biggest thing!!!!!

The 2007 CBA secured better job security for NJA and NJI pilots by making ALL future NJI new-hires part of the union. Essentially, they are working on merging the two companies. This is good for ALL of us!

Fisch,

They are working on merging the two seniority lists but not the two companies. NJI will continue to operate as a stand-alone company with Okatie as the headquarters and with separate work rules just as NJLA does now. The only changes down the road will be that all new positions will be filled by 1108 members (next November) and NJI pilots will eventually hold 1108 seniority numbers and be subject to the CBA (date to be determined).

It may seem like a small distinction but if you ask any of the crossover guys if they want to go back to CMH running their lives you will get a resounding NO.

 

[IDEtoNJA]

Fisch,

They are working on merging the two seniority lists but not the two companies. NJI will continue to operate as a stand-alone company with Okatie as the headquarters and with separate work rules just as NJLA does now. The only changes down the road will be that all new positions will be filled by 1108 members (next November) and NJI pilots will eventually hold 1108 seniority numbers and be subject to the CBA (date to be determined).

It may seem like a small distinction but if you ask any of the crossover guys if they want to go back to CMH running their lives you will get a resounding NO.

Gutshotdraw,

Just to clarify one point: NJLA pilots are covered by the 2007 CBA. Hence, all NJLA pilots are covered by the work rules of the 2007 CBA. There are no separate work rules for NJA and NJLA! Granted, NJLA pilots are 100% more likely to fall under the augmented crew provisions of the 2007 CBA then NJA pilots.

Can we please merge companies and let Okatie run the whole operation with the same efficiency?!