Compass Updates - Saga Continues
09-22-2017, 05:33 PM
#7661
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,186
Maybe if they are will to drop the buffer lower than 20 per day we wouldn't be short on either side. Thus allowing more line holders and people would get more days off and not work 95/hr lines with min days off
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09-22-2017, 05:34 PM
#7662
New Hire
Joined APC: Jun 2014
Position: Lurkin since 2014
Posts: 8
I don't completely agree with everything you said. It's not like the company is going to build a CA an FO line for a month. If this is like all the other airlines that have this same CQFO thing, then it will not be utilized very often. More of a worst case scenario when we don't have an FO to fill a seat but we have a CA who can. You guys seriously need to chill out. This is a volunteer only thing right now.
I think it's a good thing they are offering this because at the end of the day, we don't own our planes, we don't own our routes and we don't charge our own ticket prices. Unfortunately we are at the mercy of DL and AA and we have to still provide good performance numbers in order to maintain our current and future contracts. Again, this is a volunteer thing and not mandatory of every CA out here. I won't be summiting my request for it that's for sure, but I also don't blame anyone who will to make extra money to provide for his/her family and to help the company complete its performance numbers for the day. It is a BS bandaid fix to their staffing issues but so be it. We can't go back in time and hire between Jan and June.
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I think it's a good thing they are offering this because at the end of the day, we don't own our planes, we don't own our routes and we don't charge our own ticket prices. Unfortunately we are at the mercy of DL and AA and we have to still provide good performance numbers in order to maintain our current and future contracts. Again, this is a volunteer thing and not mandatory of every CA out here. I won't be summiting my request for it that's for sure, but I also don't blame anyone who will to make extra money to provide for his/her family and to help the company complete its performance numbers for the day. It is a BS bandaid fix to their staffing issues but so be it. We can't go back in time and hire between Jan and June.
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09-22-2017, 05:59 PM
#7663
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2017
Posts: 533
You couldn't be farther from the truth. Republic has done it for at least 6 years. CA's on reserve there were probably flying 50-70% of the time in the right seat.
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09-22-2017, 06:05 PM
#7664
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2017
Posts: 516
I don't completely agree with everything you said. It's not like the company is going to build a CA an FO line for a month. If this is like all the other airlines that have this same CQFO thing, then it will not be utilized very often. More of a worst case scenario when we don't have an FO to fill a seat but we have a CA who can. You guys seriously need to chill out. This is a volunteer only thing right now.
I think it's a good thing they are offering this because at the end of the day, we don't own our planes, we don't own our routes and we don't charge our own ticket prices. Unfortunately we are at the mercy of DL and AA and we have to still provide good performance numbers in order to maintain our current and future contracts. Again, this is a volunteer thing and not mandatory of every CA out here. I won't be summiting my request for it that's for sure, but I also don't blame anyone who will to make extra money to provide for his/her family and to help the company complete its performance numbers for the day. It is a BS bandaid fix to their staffing issues but so be it. We can't go back in time and hire between Jan and June.
I think it's a good thing they are offering this because at the end of the day, we don't own our planes, we don't own our routes and we don't charge our own ticket prices. Unfortunately we are at the mercy of DL and AA and we have to still provide good performance numbers in order to maintain our current and future contracts. Again, this is a volunteer thing and not mandatory of every CA out here. I won't be summiting my request for it that's for sure, but I also don't blame anyone who will to make extra money to provide for his/her family and to help the company complete its performance numbers for the day. It is a BS bandaid fix to their staffing issues but so be it. We can't go back in time and hire between Jan and June.
09-22-2017, 06:35 PM
#7665
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2017
Posts: 531
It was my understanding that we are short on captains, not short on FOs. In the early spring we could have forloughed 100 FOs overnight and still been comfortable. In May as an FO I flew 1 flight. Yes, many FOs have left, but there are still guys here barely cracking 30-40 hours a month on reserve. Reserves could be used much more with lower buffers. I haven't heard of a reserve FO breaking guarantee since I got on property. Not to mention the trip and pairing efficiency is poor (not that I could do it any better).
That all said, imho, reserves are slowly getting more and more flying per month, and the reserve lists keep shrinking.
Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, I flew with a reserve captain that said he blocked 97 hours in August because he got called every single day.
Captains have been leaving at twice the rate of FOs as well. I have a feeling we are quite short on captains and the only reason they have been holding back on upgrades is because the tiny newhire classes spooked them and they don't want to shoot themselves in the *other* foot by upgrading FOs when they're having trouble replacing them. Keep in mind the company is thinking 4 months in advance.
All that said, we still have 11.7 pilots per airplane in October according to APLA, so we're not even close to any kind of dire situation.
My forecast:
By march 2018 we will have 16+ upgrades a month, hiring 20+ a month, adequately staffed, and reserve/upgrade time will drastically shrink. These forums will still be moaning about something
That all said, imho, reserves are slowly getting more and more flying per month, and the reserve lists keep shrinking.
Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, I flew with a reserve captain that said he blocked 97 hours in August because he got called every single day.
Captains have been leaving at twice the rate of FOs as well. I have a feeling we are quite short on captains and the only reason they have been holding back on upgrades is because the tiny newhire classes spooked them and they don't want to shoot themselves in the *other* foot by upgrading FOs when they're having trouble replacing them. Keep in mind the company is thinking 4 months in advance.
All that said, we still have 11.7 pilots per airplane in October according to APLA, so we're not even close to any kind of dire situation.
My forecast:
By march 2018 we will have 16+ upgrades a month, hiring 20+ a month, adequately staffed, and reserve/upgrade time will drastically shrink. These forums will still be moaning about something
09-22-2017, 07:12 PM
#7666
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2015
Posts: 443
CAs flying right seat slows career progression and pay away from everybody.
If makes junior FOs stay on reserve longer.
It takes flying away from line holding FOs.
It takes critical pay away from all FOs.
It decreases the need for raising FO pay rates any more or instituting a retention bonus.
It creates an expectation that other CAs should fly right seat.
It slows the building of PIC time. Fly 1,000 hours but only a portion is PIC, therefore slowing your chance of getting that call from your dream airline.
This is a cheap way to get people to stay here longer by creating an environment where each pilot gains their PIC time slower.
If makes junior FOs stay on reserve longer.
It takes flying away from line holding FOs.
It takes critical pay away from all FOs.
It decreases the need for raising FO pay rates any more or instituting a retention bonus.
It creates an expectation that other CAs should fly right seat.
It slows the building of PIC time. Fly 1,000 hours but only a portion is PIC, therefore slowing your chance of getting that call from your dream airline.
This is a cheap way to get people to stay here longer by creating an environment where each pilot gains their PIC time slower.
I fail to see how the company could need this with how little FOs are being used currently, tons of flexibility with being able to increase lineholder values, and the fact that there's usually so little flying in FO open time to pick up since so many of them want to make as much $ as possible or get as much time as possible. Meanwhile on the captain side, I'm not sure where I'm going to find time in my 90 hour, min days off line to come into work to fly as a FO (while bidding for max days off, no less). Furthermore, how many emails for critical pay have been sent out for CA trips vs FO trips lately? Seems that the need is to have the CA side staffed properly.
And the way to staff the CA side properly? Upgrade more FOs! I've said it before and I'll say it again. Increase the number of upgrades and you'll see more FOs want to come through the door because they can do the math and see how quick the upgrade will be. But they won't want to come here if the upgrade time is long because we're "short staffed" on FOs so we don't upgrade enough to cover the left seat. I get that it's quicker to upgrade someone on property than to train a new hire, but there's a cause and effect there that management doesn't seem to fully realize how that can affect our recruiting abilities. But then again, BG thinks that the typical pilot in upgrade class has been on property for only 12 months, so we all know how in tune they are...
09-22-2017, 07:19 PM
#7667
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2014
Posts: 128
First let me say that I think this is a horrible idea and pilots shouldn't swap seats unless they are check airman.
I seriously doubt they came up with this policy to meet the current staffing numbers. They are wanting the flexibility in the future. They know they need to upgrade for all the reasons previously stated in this thread, but don't want to get pot committed with too many captains if they can't hire enough fo's.
I seriously doubt they came up with this policy to meet the current staffing numbers. They are wanting the flexibility in the future. They know they need to upgrade for all the reasons previously stated in this thread, but don't want to get pot committed with too many captains if they can't hire enough fo's.
09-22-2017, 07:44 PM
#7668
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,186
First let me say that I think this is a horrible idea and pilots shouldn't swap seats unless they are check airman.
I seriously doubt they came up with this policy to meet the current staffing numbers. They are wanting the flexibility in the future. They know they need to upgrade for all the reasons previously stated in this thread, but don't want to get pot committed with too many captains if they can't hire enough fo's.
I seriously doubt they came up with this policy to meet the current staffing numbers. They are wanting the flexibility in the future. They know they need to upgrade for all the reasons previously stated in this thread, but don't want to get pot committed with too many captains if they can't hire enough fo's.
I feel that the company is actually looking ahead for future planning for once. It always seems that cpz is always trying to play catch up. To me this CQFO thing is their way of planning for "in case" things go bad in the future and we absolutely need to fill that plane with two CAs. This is deff not a needed thing right now that's for sure. Again, I think everyone needs to take a breath, maybe another sip of their drink, and just chill out for a min and stop complaining on every single thing.
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09-23-2017, 06:12 AM
#7669
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2015
Posts: 634
Piedmont Dash 8 Captains were right seat qualified, but I've never seen or heard of a Captain flying from the right seat either voluntarily or at the direction of crew scheduling. Our 145 pilots must sit in their respective seats.
09-23-2017, 07:14 AM
#7670
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2009
Position: B737 F/O
Posts: 425
It did happen, in 2009-2010, captains got used in the right seat quite a bit. If I remember this right, at the time of the PDT/ALG merger, ALG CA's were exempted from the right seat qual.
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