acl65pilot

Not too sure about this. The myth is far removed from reality. Yes, there are a few here and there that drink their fair share, but most do not. Most realize that they have to be up the next morning back at the mind numbing task of sitting though another 10+ hrs of a MEC meeting, or a middle seat across country after the meeting is over.

If we are going to publish this data it needs to be meaningful. To me this just looks like a lot of numbers.

* Of note there are many events that are not meetings that have hospitality suites; for example the Professional Standards meeting, and many Flight Operations Personnel are there as well. It is necessary to have a venue like this, because frankly that is where all of the work gets done.

Bucking Bar

How would we get votes like we do without lots of free booze and membership in an exclusive club? Open and principled debate might break out & everyone knows that's a slow way to make sausage.

RockyBoy

I basically agree with you ACL. I know it costs tons of money to run these meetings and they need to be run in a way that allows all those involved to do a good job. I don't have a problem with them staying in nice places with the resources that they need to get stuff done. I give them 1.95% of my money and I basically don't care what they do with it, as long as they are doing things to protect my job and increase my quality of life. The only thing I can see that is potentially out of line with these expenses would be the amount spent for food and from past experience I think the large amount is due to the cost of alcohol. Other than that, I don't think the costs are out of line.

Nosmo King

I still want to see the FPL numbers with a breakdown by committee and name.

I didn't ask to see meeting expenses and neither did the resolution.

King will get his chance to show those numbers at the next C20 meeting. I wonder if he will bring the FPL numbers with him in a written format.

UncleSam

I'm pretty sure that no dues money is spent on booze, unless you consider the daily expense money that the attendees get in place of DAL per diem, as dues money. Unless it has recently changed all hospitality expenses are paid out of the expense money. That includes any alcohol and food outside of lunch, which is usually a working lunch. Ask your reps how it is done.

hammer189

1) If LUV has a higher cost structure than us, how do they turn a profit when we don't? (I've been told by managers at Delta that SW has a higher cost structure. Also, its well known that they pay thier people more across the board.ie_Pilots, FA, Rampers) They have lower yields per ticket in revenue, don't collect a premium on First Class seats, and miss out on big money from bags. I'd like to see a list compiled of why they make money when we don't. And not something like: They don't have RJs or our VPs are paid more or they don't have Alpa. Something based purely in financial terms.

Somewhere is published the number of employees per airplane for all airlines.
SWA was around 36 and Delta was around 79 people per aircraft.
This is a huge reason that they have a cost advantage over us.
These numbers are old and from memory.
Anybody have the latest numbers?

Bill Lumberg

An AE at Southwest doesn't cost much because there isn't a ripple affect down the line for multiple aircraft, and all their pilots already paid for their 737 types. How nice for SWA!

Scoop

Anyone else get called by Met Life in regard to DAL Life Insurance? They want me to name a beneficiary but I don't remember signing up for any Met Life products. Is this a scam or is it some type of legitimate minimal free life insurance that they provide?

Thanks Scoop

Denny Crane

Could it be the life insurance from the D&S Plan that we all have to pay taxes on?

Denny

NuGuy

It will be interesting to see what the FPL shows.

Any of the Councils can get the numbers anytime they want, because the data is also maintained by ALPA National. Reps could get the data with a phone call, post it on the crew room wall, and hand it out in flyers as pilots walk in, and it's all perfectly cool.

Instead, a reasonable effort has been made for the MEC to step up to do it themselves. We'll see if that happens.

Nu