Magenta Line August 7, 2009
08-07-2009, 03:47 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Posts: 258
Magenta Line August 7, 2009
“We’re controlling our costs very well, but we’re not doing it at the expense of taking care of our people and our customers. We still are committed to doing everything we can to avoid involuntary frontline furloughs. So keep doing a good job so that we win more of the customers, and hang in there. It’s tough and we don’t know when the economy is going to perfectly turn around, but we do know how to work together and do a good job for our customers.” - Delta CEO Richard Anderson July 23, 2009
Today is Friday, August 7, 2009 and there are 13 items for discussion.
Item 1: Fred’s Fuzzy Math – Part One
The problem when you try to baffle people with—uh, things that don’t smell right at first sniff—you usually have one killjoy in the crowd with a calculator and enough brain cells to refute you.
Case in point: this month’s flight operations update, starring Captain Fred Abbott. Have you noticed that we’ve now had two flight operations updates in two months? We think the last time this happened, Eisenhower was still playing golf. Anyway, here’s a non-useful but enlightening quote from Captain Fred:
"Similarly, reserve utilization fell from 50.5 hours in 2007 to 37.4 hours in 2008, and was a very low 30 hours through June in 2009. And there have been more than a few reserve pilots in 2009 who found themselves in any given month with no trips flown."
Really. The numbers themselves are probably true—but they illustrate just how far down the blind canyon we’ve allowed management and manpower planning to fly us.
Newsflash: We don’t really fly anybody around January through mid-June. The bulk of our flying takes place mid-June through mid- September. You cannot use staffing numbers for the lull months and use them to staff the busiest months of the year. Unless, of course, you plan on abuse of the entire pilot group as a daily ritual. Likewise, you can’t use reserve utilization numbers for January through mid-June to prove that our reserves don’t fly much mid-June through mid-September.
As one of our fellow abusees puts it:
“Talk about a distortion of the numbers.... holy ba-jesus. He knows full well that these reserve utilization numbers are artificially low because they furloughed 147 in the fall... and a chitload of 737 captains were sitting around on reserve waiting to be trained to their displaced equipment. Due to the furloughs, we had coverage some days of 100+ reserves in the EWR 737 CA sub base while these guys (me included) sat reserve. Now he wants to use these numbers to make a case that we don't work our reserves too hard or that our staffing is sufficient? And he calls you three distorters of the fact? What does he think... we're 3 years old? Unbe-freaking-lievable.”
Thank you. A man of words if we ever met one.
And there’s this from Kate Malone, our former Council 170 Secretary-Treasurer:
Regarding Fred’s quote above: “And herein lies one of the problems. This management team believes that the above statement is a problem.
CAL management has been misusing reserves as long as I have been here at Continental. Reserves are there as backups, for when the schedule falls apart. They're not supposed to be flying full lineholder schedules. That's why they're called 'reserves'. 35 to 50 hours should be the norm for the amount of hours they fly. Having to pay reserves to be on call and not fly is the cost of having the luxury of having the ability to maintain the schedule when it starts to fall apart.”
We could not have put it better ourselves.
The management of Continental Airlines is throwing a party for themselves at our expense. As we’ve noticed repeatedly, most things they do are at our expense. But this year they’ve got the 75th Anniversary of the airline as cover. Management gets bonuses, we get 75th Anniversary cocktail napkins with our cup of water as we non-recline in our middle coach seat. Meanwhile, we have a thunderstorm in EWR or IAH and the operation ceases for hours as crews split and their airplanes are grounded, crew scheduling won’t answer the phone, and onsite management is nowhere to be found. Chief pilots are forced from behind their desk to fly as First Officers and junior manning “opportunities” abound. These are not major weather events like hurricanes, these are afternoon thunderstorms. Management has no discernable plan for irregular operations except the abuse of reserves. While they celebrate the anniversary they had nothing to do with creating, they show by their daily operation of the airline that they have learned nothing from the previous 75 years of our airline’s history.
Proper staffing is not magical, it is not mysterious, and it is not buried in the black arts. It is a few numbers scratched on the back of an envelope or an inch or two of adding machine tape. If it takes more than a couple of minutes to calculate or more than one sentence to explain—it’s wrong and it will fail at the most critical moment. Math is like a brick wall—you can run into it over and over—but it’s still a brick wall and will still be there long after you knock yourself unconscious.
Maybe that’s why management seems dazed and confused all the time.
Item 2: Fuel Hedging: The Gift That Keeps on Taking, Redux
Last week we talked about the miniscule 442 million dollar fuel-hedging loss we took over the past 18 months. In corresponding with a couple of our pilots we realized that that number by itself is somewhat meaningless without the proper context to put it in perspective. So here’s this: out entire pilot payroll is about 630 million annually. So for the 18 month period ending June 2009, our total pilot costs were about 945 million. How much of a raise could we have gotten with that 442 million? How many of our 147 hostages would still be with us?
We remember clearly management’s disdain for Southwest’s financial status over the past few years. They used to snicker at them because most of Southwest’s profit was due to a competent fuel hedging team. We, on the other hand, struggled with mediocre management AND hedgers who evidently had their charts upside down.
As Bob Uecker said in the movie Major League: “You can close the book on Kellner—thank God.”
Item 3: We Need a Sticker on the Side of the Airplane for This One
We can visualize it: as our passengers board our aircraft they are greeted with a large colorful sticker, perhaps in a nice arch over the door: Continental’s Pilots 1995-2008: the Most Poorly Compensated in the Industry! Welcome Aboard! Don’t Forget to Tip Your Pilots!”
As we previously discussed, math is an absolute, and we have a couple of guys among our pilots pretty adept with a calculator. For the 14 years from 1995-2008, we were the lowest of the low in cockpit block hour costs in every year except one: 2005. That year we tore it up by coming in 4th out of the 6 legacy airlines on our list.
Now you might say, “Well, I bet we were close to the top, moneywise, right? I mean, 6th place could still be worth 90% of the top, huh?” Hey, remember where you work, or as management says: “We’re not happy until you’re not happy.” No, Continental Airlines, one of the “100 Best Places to Work”, has compensated us at the rate of 62.8% of the industry leader for the past 14 years. When you think about our financial performance, think about the HUGE financial head-start our management was able to extract from our pockets over this period. Our management may not be very good but they were good enough to convince us to work for 62% of an industry-leading pilot contract. They took the rest for themselves—except the small part they paid to put the “100 Best Places to Work” sticker on the side of our airplanes.
During part of the time we were taking our 62% solution, half of the industry was in bankruptcy—yet even post-bankruptcy, these carriers still paid their pilots 30+% more than our management paid us. Of the 14 years from 1995-2008, 2003 was the zenith of our financial achievement as pilots. During that year, we were still lower than the lowest industry-leader cost of the entire 14 years: Delta in 1995.
As we are fond of saying: they can pay us—and they will.
Item 4: Fred’s Fuzzy Math, Part Two, or, “Will Someone Please Take Fred’s Calculator?”
“In fact, for active pilots who were on the seniority list on March 2005, average W-2 earnings have increased by 21%”
Uh huh. OK, well, in 2005 we had hundreds of new-hires still working for food-stamp wages. Today, due to the miracle of time passing, those guys who worked for $30 bucks an hour while on probation now make from $75 to $109 bucks an hour—which is a lot more than a 21% raise—so how is the average only 21%??? The magic of math with stubble around the edges. Two of your Council 170 officers have been here since 1987. They are topped at 12 year pay and have been for a while. Their 2008 W-2’s are virtually the same as they were in 1999 and, today, have about one-half the earning power they did 10 years ago.
Fred, please; put down the calculator and go get a cup of coffee—you’re just embarrassing yourself.
Today is Friday, August 7, 2009 and there are 13 items for discussion.
Item 1: Fred’s Fuzzy Math – Part One
The problem when you try to baffle people with—uh, things that don’t smell right at first sniff—you usually have one killjoy in the crowd with a calculator and enough brain cells to refute you.
Case in point: this month’s flight operations update, starring Captain Fred Abbott. Have you noticed that we’ve now had two flight operations updates in two months? We think the last time this happened, Eisenhower was still playing golf. Anyway, here’s a non-useful but enlightening quote from Captain Fred:
"Similarly, reserve utilization fell from 50.5 hours in 2007 to 37.4 hours in 2008, and was a very low 30 hours through June in 2009. And there have been more than a few reserve pilots in 2009 who found themselves in any given month with no trips flown."
Really. The numbers themselves are probably true—but they illustrate just how far down the blind canyon we’ve allowed management and manpower planning to fly us.
Newsflash: We don’t really fly anybody around January through mid-June. The bulk of our flying takes place mid-June through mid- September. You cannot use staffing numbers for the lull months and use them to staff the busiest months of the year. Unless, of course, you plan on abuse of the entire pilot group as a daily ritual. Likewise, you can’t use reserve utilization numbers for January through mid-June to prove that our reserves don’t fly much mid-June through mid-September.
As one of our fellow abusees puts it:
“Talk about a distortion of the numbers.... holy ba-jesus. He knows full well that these reserve utilization numbers are artificially low because they furloughed 147 in the fall... and a chitload of 737 captains were sitting around on reserve waiting to be trained to their displaced equipment. Due to the furloughs, we had coverage some days of 100+ reserves in the EWR 737 CA sub base while these guys (me included) sat reserve. Now he wants to use these numbers to make a case that we don't work our reserves too hard or that our staffing is sufficient? And he calls you three distorters of the fact? What does he think... we're 3 years old? Unbe-freaking-lievable.”
Thank you. A man of words if we ever met one.
And there’s this from Kate Malone, our former Council 170 Secretary-Treasurer:
Regarding Fred’s quote above: “And herein lies one of the problems. This management team believes that the above statement is a problem.
CAL management has been misusing reserves as long as I have been here at Continental. Reserves are there as backups, for when the schedule falls apart. They're not supposed to be flying full lineholder schedules. That's why they're called 'reserves'. 35 to 50 hours should be the norm for the amount of hours they fly. Having to pay reserves to be on call and not fly is the cost of having the luxury of having the ability to maintain the schedule when it starts to fall apart.”
We could not have put it better ourselves.
The management of Continental Airlines is throwing a party for themselves at our expense. As we’ve noticed repeatedly, most things they do are at our expense. But this year they’ve got the 75th Anniversary of the airline as cover. Management gets bonuses, we get 75th Anniversary cocktail napkins with our cup of water as we non-recline in our middle coach seat. Meanwhile, we have a thunderstorm in EWR or IAH and the operation ceases for hours as crews split and their airplanes are grounded, crew scheduling won’t answer the phone, and onsite management is nowhere to be found. Chief pilots are forced from behind their desk to fly as First Officers and junior manning “opportunities” abound. These are not major weather events like hurricanes, these are afternoon thunderstorms. Management has no discernable plan for irregular operations except the abuse of reserves. While they celebrate the anniversary they had nothing to do with creating, they show by their daily operation of the airline that they have learned nothing from the previous 75 years of our airline’s history.
Proper staffing is not magical, it is not mysterious, and it is not buried in the black arts. It is a few numbers scratched on the back of an envelope or an inch or two of adding machine tape. If it takes more than a couple of minutes to calculate or more than one sentence to explain—it’s wrong and it will fail at the most critical moment. Math is like a brick wall—you can run into it over and over—but it’s still a brick wall and will still be there long after you knock yourself unconscious.
Maybe that’s why management seems dazed and confused all the time.
Item 2: Fuel Hedging: The Gift That Keeps on Taking, Redux
Last week we talked about the miniscule 442 million dollar fuel-hedging loss we took over the past 18 months. In corresponding with a couple of our pilots we realized that that number by itself is somewhat meaningless without the proper context to put it in perspective. So here’s this: out entire pilot payroll is about 630 million annually. So for the 18 month period ending June 2009, our total pilot costs were about 945 million. How much of a raise could we have gotten with that 442 million? How many of our 147 hostages would still be with us?
We remember clearly management’s disdain for Southwest’s financial status over the past few years. They used to snicker at them because most of Southwest’s profit was due to a competent fuel hedging team. We, on the other hand, struggled with mediocre management AND hedgers who evidently had their charts upside down.
As Bob Uecker said in the movie Major League: “You can close the book on Kellner—thank God.”
Item 3: We Need a Sticker on the Side of the Airplane for This One
We can visualize it: as our passengers board our aircraft they are greeted with a large colorful sticker, perhaps in a nice arch over the door: Continental’s Pilots 1995-2008: the Most Poorly Compensated in the Industry! Welcome Aboard! Don’t Forget to Tip Your Pilots!”
As we previously discussed, math is an absolute, and we have a couple of guys among our pilots pretty adept with a calculator. For the 14 years from 1995-2008, we were the lowest of the low in cockpit block hour costs in every year except one: 2005. That year we tore it up by coming in 4th out of the 6 legacy airlines on our list.
Now you might say, “Well, I bet we were close to the top, moneywise, right? I mean, 6th place could still be worth 90% of the top, huh?” Hey, remember where you work, or as management says: “We’re not happy until you’re not happy.” No, Continental Airlines, one of the “100 Best Places to Work”, has compensated us at the rate of 62.8% of the industry leader for the past 14 years. When you think about our financial performance, think about the HUGE financial head-start our management was able to extract from our pockets over this period. Our management may not be very good but they were good enough to convince us to work for 62% of an industry-leading pilot contract. They took the rest for themselves—except the small part they paid to put the “100 Best Places to Work” sticker on the side of our airplanes.
During part of the time we were taking our 62% solution, half of the industry was in bankruptcy—yet even post-bankruptcy, these carriers still paid their pilots 30+% more than our management paid us. Of the 14 years from 1995-2008, 2003 was the zenith of our financial achievement as pilots. During that year, we were still lower than the lowest industry-leader cost of the entire 14 years: Delta in 1995.
As we are fond of saying: they can pay us—and they will.
Item 4: Fred’s Fuzzy Math, Part Two, or, “Will Someone Please Take Fred’s Calculator?”
“In fact, for active pilots who were on the seniority list on March 2005, average W-2 earnings have increased by 21%”
Uh huh. OK, well, in 2005 we had hundreds of new-hires still working for food-stamp wages. Today, due to the miracle of time passing, those guys who worked for $30 bucks an hour while on probation now make from $75 to $109 bucks an hour—which is a lot more than a 21% raise—so how is the average only 21%??? The magic of math with stubble around the edges. Two of your Council 170 officers have been here since 1987. They are topped at 12 year pay and have been for a while. Their 2008 W-2’s are virtually the same as they were in 1999 and, today, have about one-half the earning power they did 10 years ago.
Fred, please; put down the calculator and go get a cup of coffee—you’re just embarrassing yourself.
08-07-2009, 03:48 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Posts: 258
Item 5: Special Reminder: Council 170 Meeting August 12th at 11:00 Followed by a Special Visit with Fred
Please join us for a unique opportunity on August 12th. First, you will have the chance to gather all your rotten fruit and hurl it at your Council 170 Officers while shouting: What have you done for me lately???” Then, once we clean up and take care of some old and new business, we would like you to join us as we head for the crew room to discuss all the reasons we love it here at Continental with Captain Abbott. It will be an action spectacular, that we can guarantee.
If you are unable to attend, please email your questions to us at:
[email protected] (this is a real email address)
Your Council 170 leadership will be sure to ask them in your stead.
Item 6: “The Best Staffed Summer…”, etc, etc
Currently, the union and management only track actual junior manning events. As we all know, instances of scheduling abuse and intimidation abound so we are going to start tracking these occurrences, as well.
Please send your scheduling horror stories to:
[email protected]
Item 7: Cleveland Air Show: Is Your Family Aware?
The Cleveland Airshow runs September 5-7 and the CALMEC will be there. While this is not a major family-awareness event, it does have a family-awareness component to it. Your CALMEC will have a tent set up on the flightline where many of your officers will be present throughout the days. The “CAL Families for Change” (CAFC) will also be there as well to provide information on their organization and to recruit new members. Be sure you and your family stop by and say hello.
Item 8: Repeat—It Really is That Simple: Bid All of Your Vacation
Vacation bidding will be upon us soon and we have a simple message: BID ALL OF IT, AND BID ALL OF IT AS ANNUAL VACATION!
We have pilots on furlough. If every pilot bid every week they were entitled to as annual (not monthly) vacation, most of our hostages could come home to us. Yes, you may have to put off your new bass boat another month but these are our brothers and sisters with families to care for and not bidding all of your vacation hurts them.
This is going to be a major issue this fall for your EWR LEC reps. An educational campaign is being created and it’s going to highlight both the problems caused by not bidding all of your vacation and the benefits to be gained by bidding it all. Remember, you must bid all of your vacation as annual vacation or it will NOT be counted in next year’s staffing formula.
Don’t be insensitive to our furloughees; BID IT ALL!
Item 9: Repeat—Eye to Tie
A large segment of our pilot group bemoans our lowly standing among unionized carriers and often wonders aloud what we can do to fix this problem.
Sometimes the simplest things are best and one of the simplest is to wear the ALPA pin on your tie. Management does look at us and they keep a rough count. When you wear your pin, you are not swearing allegiance to John Prater or the ALPA bureaucracy—you are showing solidarity with your fellow pilots—some of whom are now on the street. The pin says, “I belong” and tells management that their days of dominance over us are finished.
This may be hard to believe but at many other ALPA carriers, you are a “slick-tie” at your own peril. These guys are shunned when they show up to fly without the pin.
It is our duty as union pilots to speak to our “slick-tied” friends and get them to see the error of their ways. This does not have to be difficult or uncomfortable—it can be a chat among friends—but, ultimately, it has to be done if we are to advance beyond the miserable garbage that passes for a contract here at Continental.
Put your differences with ALPA aside and wear the pin; it may be a baby-step—but it’s a baby-step on the way to the best contract ever.
By the way, we have seen more pins on ties and lapels in EWR than at any time in the past—and the difference is HUGE. You guys are doing a great job! Please keep it up!
Item 10: Request for Committee Volunteers
All of our committees need volunteers. If you are one of the many somewhat selfish and untested among us, if you are interested in committee work, if you have special artistic talents of any kind, or if you just like to chew the legs off your dining room table, we want you to help your fellow EWR pilots. If you are interested or have previously expressed interest via e-mail or a phone call, please confirm your continuing interest in an e-mail to Captain Kaye Riggs, Secretary-Treasurer, LEC 170 at [email protected]. Please put your name and the word “Volunteer” in the subject line.
Item 11: Next Meetings
Please join us at our next local council meeting scheduled for August 12, 2009, from 11:00 to 15:00 at the EWR Airport Marriott.
Our next MEC meeting has not yet been scheduled but should occur in October.
Please join us for a unique opportunity on August 12th. First, you will have the chance to gather all your rotten fruit and hurl it at your Council 170 Officers while shouting: What have you done for me lately???” Then, once we clean up and take care of some old and new business, we would like you to join us as we head for the crew room to discuss all the reasons we love it here at Continental with Captain Abbott. It will be an action spectacular, that we can guarantee.
If you are unable to attend, please email your questions to us at:
[email protected] (this is a real email address)
Your Council 170 leadership will be sure to ask them in your stead.
Item 6: “The Best Staffed Summer…”, etc, etc
Currently, the union and management only track actual junior manning events. As we all know, instances of scheduling abuse and intimidation abound so we are going to start tracking these occurrences, as well.
Please send your scheduling horror stories to:
[email protected]
Item 7: Cleveland Air Show: Is Your Family Aware?
The Cleveland Airshow runs September 5-7 and the CALMEC will be there. While this is not a major family-awareness event, it does have a family-awareness component to it. Your CALMEC will have a tent set up on the flightline where many of your officers will be present throughout the days. The “CAL Families for Change” (CAFC) will also be there as well to provide information on their organization and to recruit new members. Be sure you and your family stop by and say hello.
Item 8: Repeat—It Really is That Simple: Bid All of Your Vacation
Vacation bidding will be upon us soon and we have a simple message: BID ALL OF IT, AND BID ALL OF IT AS ANNUAL VACATION!
We have pilots on furlough. If every pilot bid every week they were entitled to as annual (not monthly) vacation, most of our hostages could come home to us. Yes, you may have to put off your new bass boat another month but these are our brothers and sisters with families to care for and not bidding all of your vacation hurts them.
This is going to be a major issue this fall for your EWR LEC reps. An educational campaign is being created and it’s going to highlight both the problems caused by not bidding all of your vacation and the benefits to be gained by bidding it all. Remember, you must bid all of your vacation as annual vacation or it will NOT be counted in next year’s staffing formula.
Don’t be insensitive to our furloughees; BID IT ALL!
Item 9: Repeat—Eye to Tie
A large segment of our pilot group bemoans our lowly standing among unionized carriers and often wonders aloud what we can do to fix this problem.
Sometimes the simplest things are best and one of the simplest is to wear the ALPA pin on your tie. Management does look at us and they keep a rough count. When you wear your pin, you are not swearing allegiance to John Prater or the ALPA bureaucracy—you are showing solidarity with your fellow pilots—some of whom are now on the street. The pin says, “I belong” and tells management that their days of dominance over us are finished.
This may be hard to believe but at many other ALPA carriers, you are a “slick-tie” at your own peril. These guys are shunned when they show up to fly without the pin.
It is our duty as union pilots to speak to our “slick-tied” friends and get them to see the error of their ways. This does not have to be difficult or uncomfortable—it can be a chat among friends—but, ultimately, it has to be done if we are to advance beyond the miserable garbage that passes for a contract here at Continental.
Put your differences with ALPA aside and wear the pin; it may be a baby-step—but it’s a baby-step on the way to the best contract ever.
By the way, we have seen more pins on ties and lapels in EWR than at any time in the past—and the difference is HUGE. You guys are doing a great job! Please keep it up!
Item 10: Request for Committee Volunteers
All of our committees need volunteers. If you are one of the many somewhat selfish and untested among us, if you are interested in committee work, if you have special artistic talents of any kind, or if you just like to chew the legs off your dining room table, we want you to help your fellow EWR pilots. If you are interested or have previously expressed interest via e-mail or a phone call, please confirm your continuing interest in an e-mail to Captain Kaye Riggs, Secretary-Treasurer, LEC 170 at [email protected]. Please put your name and the word “Volunteer” in the subject line.
Item 11: Next Meetings
Please join us at our next local council meeting scheduled for August 12, 2009, from 11:00 to 15:00 at the EWR Airport Marriott.
Our next MEC meeting has not yet been scheduled but should occur in October.
08-07-2009, 03:49 PM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Posts: 258
Item 12: Chairman’s Editorial
You know, this used to be a hell of a career—now it just a job and not a very good one at that. Even during the Lorenzo era—for a while, anyway—while we didn't have good pay or work rules, there was a time we were treated with dignity and respect, just like real airline pilots. Now, thanks to almost two decades under the Friends of Fred, those days are just distant memories for some of us. Many of our pilots don't even know any better, they believe our Flight Operations is just there for discipline and to manage the airlines liability (us) and keep the airline running at all costs. To contrast today vs yesterday, I am honored to yield my editorial this week to a man I am proud to call my union brother.
Here is his story:
I was "bitten by the aviation bug" early in life. Boy Scouts and rocketry, NASA & the Apollo program, a trip to Wright-Patterson & the Air Force Museum, painstakingly assembled scale models, in mock-combat, hung from my bedroom ceiling. I borrowed my parents car at 16... they thought I was headed to the shopping mall... I headed straight to the Flying Cloud Airport for my first flight lesson & my parents weren't that surprised when I told them later that night. (Stick with me... the resume & story all come to a point) The University of North Dakota , flight instruction, a lucky break flying corporate colors. The ATP oral and practical passed & FAA letter issued at 21 instructing how to obtain my certificate when I turned 23. Flight Safety & Air Midwest, Wichita. The FEB & FEJ written exams all led me to Continental in April, 1987. I had just turned 24 and was, quite possibly, the happiest guy in the solar system. There was a dream, it was attainable.
It's my Dad's fault... he was a Naval Aviation combat veteran of WWII, South Pacific Theatre. I carry his love of aviation in my very soul. He died suddenly, while I was working, in 1998. I look at the flag that draped his coffin, frequently, remembering who planted the dream of aviation, and the love I have for the profession.
My claim to the Bob Six era is but a glimpse of greatness. Having experienced "the best and brightest" personally, I share this story, one of many. It is a story of the MOST capable and compassionate people hired prior to the Lorenzo (a.k.a. Fred Abbott) era, and it is a direct comparison of dignity and disgust.
My 1987 arrival on Guam was spectacular. First Class seating, positive-space, on the DC10. I had not been farther than the Bahamas prior to my LAX-HNL-GUM flight. That aircraft actually had a pub (a lounge) installed in the aft section of First Class. Passengers loved that feature & really had a party enroute. The Flight attendants were attractive, friendly and extremely professional. The flight crew invited me to the jump-seat enroute & welcomed me to "Air Mike." The CPO administrator/secretary met the flight at about 0440 a.m. (can you imagine?) then personally drove the group of newbies to the Guam Hilton, holding our hands & setting us up with lodging/temporary living quarters at the Hilton. All smiles, nothing but friendly & a model of efficiency. I couldn't have been treated with more dignity and respect. When the Sun came up that morning, I was stunned at the tropical beauty of Tumon Bay. How happy was I? I can tell you for sure, the dream was reality.
What I didn't realize at the time, was that the Guam Chief Pilot, Captain Dick Floreani, administered "overseeing of the FNG's" & he is but one of my connections to Bob Six.
Several months into my GUM stint, there was an opportunity to give Second Officer IOE. I headed to Captain Floreani's office, a man I had never met. When he called me in his office, I walked into a time warp of aviation history. A life full of honor, sacrifice, dedication, and accolade. I was drawn to a photo of Dick next to a Navy A-4, "on the boat" & smiling. That's where our conversation began... a brief resume of how he came to Continental from the Navy and Colorado. I liked him instantly & he gave me all the time in the world, letting me look around his office, providing a brief narrative of the pictures, plaques, certificates, and other "stuff" that caught my eye. I told him about being born in Colorado & my father's WWII Naval Aviation combat experience as a twin .50 caliber turret gunner on the Lockheed Ventura. Dick told me that Continental adopted that very aircraft, the Lodestar, in the "early years." I felt a bond with this man & he gained my professional respect immediately, steeping me in Air Micronesia history... The development of Island-Hopping ideas and execution of dreams by a man named Bob Six... Continental Hotels, coral runways, aircraft accidents & mishaps, the B727's named "Ju-Ju" & "Nu-Ju", observations by topless female native islanders, etc. He graciously accepted my offer to provide IOE. (Upward mobility was there for the asking, so just ask... what a concept.) I was trained to do this in a few days time & waited patiently for my first "victim." (Frank Gicca... please forgive my inexperience, I remember... glad you survived!)
Many weeks later, while working a weekend turn back from Japan, GUM ops informed me that "Dick Floreani wanted to see me & was waiting in his office." (GULP!) "Rodger" was my VHF response. WOW! What had I done? Relax, regroup, replay... absolutely nothing... The walk to his office felt like a death-march for some nagging reason... He welcomed me in & I entered his office, Dick's demeanor was disarming & cordial. I looked at that A-4 photo & he was still (a good omen?) smiling... He then told me to relax... to "trust him & that this was a no jeopardy situation for me, really, you are in no trouble what-so-ever!"
(WHEW!)
Hang on now... here comes the "thrust" of the story...
Dick told me that while he was a probationary Second Officer on GUM, his father had become ill back in Denver. His family had called & requested that he come back "as soon as he could." (I was very naive, but intently focused on his story) He went on to explain that he had just one more trip to fly, then he could head straight to Denver for extended time with the family. So he made his choice & flew his schedule, not wanting to be a burden to flight operations & not wanting to compromise his probationary attendance. As I was slowly adding it all up, Dick told me, "My father died while I was enroute back to Denver... I want you to know that your father is stable, but has suffered a heart attack. Your mother called us & has requested that you come back as soon as you can." I could see the emotion & compassion in his eyes, I will NEVER forget the humanity that man displayed & the dignified manner in which he then stated "...so we have taken the liberty of arranging travel for your return to Minneapolis, you can leave your flight bag right here, if you like, the next flight leaves for Honolulu in 25 minutes... here's your ticket. I think you should go, right now & know that your job is secure and will be here for you when you return. If it takes three weeks, or three months... just let me know what you need, when you can... now GO!" I was already out the door.
Keep in mind, there was no such thing as Family Medical Leave, it was a weekend, I was a new-hire on probation, etc.
There's more to that story... it's all amazing, decent and good. I'll spare you the rest of my 27 hour trip back & having the chance to spend a few minutes with my father prior to his successful bypass surgery. Dick Floreani takes a place among great men. Bill Leeper, Chester James, and a dedicated other few that rose to position of Chief Pilot as advocates of line pilots, and of the profession. They made me LOVE this place. I still stand tall from their influence and impressions.
Why did I take so much time in relating this story? Because the differences between then and now could not be more stark.
It ****es me off that Fred Abbott is still part of this company. I am not alone, Fred. Every one of my 1987 brothers (I salute all of you) is ready to stand, toe-to-toe with you & face down your lies. You are still part of the Lorenzo model: divide and conquer. You were about my age in 1988 when, as the IAH Chief Pilot, you lost me forever. We had been, for several weeks, discussing the fine points of exactly how the 88-1R (furlough) bid entitled junior pilots to fly my status, in my original base, while I was advanced to EWR, out of seniority, to fly a reserve schedule virtually overnight, and kept hostage while the bid was subsequently "cancelled." A mistake? NO! Hotel room? NO! Passes to or from work? NO! (For the junior pilot, ask any one of the several hundred of us about 88-1R) You, Fred, as my Chief Pilot, quite unprofessionally & loudly, literally yelled this insult to my face: "Why don't you go work for United!" If you are man enough to recall, I stood up & with equal tone and lack of respect said "Why don't YOU! YOU seem to be the problem here!" My lack of respect for you continues to this day, Fred, & I stand up to you again and everything you've represented since 1987. I AM NOT ALONE! “Comm One” this... Stop mailing me your crap, DO NOT pretend you represent anything other than Lorenzo & all your money. If you truly desire harmonious pilot relations, resign. We will all jump for joy! Your place in history is secure, Fred, & you know my name.
You know, this used to be a hell of a career—now it just a job and not a very good one at that. Even during the Lorenzo era—for a while, anyway—while we didn't have good pay or work rules, there was a time we were treated with dignity and respect, just like real airline pilots. Now, thanks to almost two decades under the Friends of Fred, those days are just distant memories for some of us. Many of our pilots don't even know any better, they believe our Flight Operations is just there for discipline and to manage the airlines liability (us) and keep the airline running at all costs. To contrast today vs yesterday, I am honored to yield my editorial this week to a man I am proud to call my union brother.
Here is his story:
I was "bitten by the aviation bug" early in life. Boy Scouts and rocketry, NASA & the Apollo program, a trip to Wright-Patterson & the Air Force Museum, painstakingly assembled scale models, in mock-combat, hung from my bedroom ceiling. I borrowed my parents car at 16... they thought I was headed to the shopping mall... I headed straight to the Flying Cloud Airport for my first flight lesson & my parents weren't that surprised when I told them later that night. (Stick with me... the resume & story all come to a point) The University of North Dakota , flight instruction, a lucky break flying corporate colors. The ATP oral and practical passed & FAA letter issued at 21 instructing how to obtain my certificate when I turned 23. Flight Safety & Air Midwest, Wichita. The FEB & FEJ written exams all led me to Continental in April, 1987. I had just turned 24 and was, quite possibly, the happiest guy in the solar system. There was a dream, it was attainable.
It's my Dad's fault... he was a Naval Aviation combat veteran of WWII, South Pacific Theatre. I carry his love of aviation in my very soul. He died suddenly, while I was working, in 1998. I look at the flag that draped his coffin, frequently, remembering who planted the dream of aviation, and the love I have for the profession.
My claim to the Bob Six era is but a glimpse of greatness. Having experienced "the best and brightest" personally, I share this story, one of many. It is a story of the MOST capable and compassionate people hired prior to the Lorenzo (a.k.a. Fred Abbott) era, and it is a direct comparison of dignity and disgust.
My 1987 arrival on Guam was spectacular. First Class seating, positive-space, on the DC10. I had not been farther than the Bahamas prior to my LAX-HNL-GUM flight. That aircraft actually had a pub (a lounge) installed in the aft section of First Class. Passengers loved that feature & really had a party enroute. The Flight attendants were attractive, friendly and extremely professional. The flight crew invited me to the jump-seat enroute & welcomed me to "Air Mike." The CPO administrator/secretary met the flight at about 0440 a.m. (can you imagine?) then personally drove the group of newbies to the Guam Hilton, holding our hands & setting us up with lodging/temporary living quarters at the Hilton. All smiles, nothing but friendly & a model of efficiency. I couldn't have been treated with more dignity and respect. When the Sun came up that morning, I was stunned at the tropical beauty of Tumon Bay. How happy was I? I can tell you for sure, the dream was reality.
What I didn't realize at the time, was that the Guam Chief Pilot, Captain Dick Floreani, administered "overseeing of the FNG's" & he is but one of my connections to Bob Six.
Several months into my GUM stint, there was an opportunity to give Second Officer IOE. I headed to Captain Floreani's office, a man I had never met. When he called me in his office, I walked into a time warp of aviation history. A life full of honor, sacrifice, dedication, and accolade. I was drawn to a photo of Dick next to a Navy A-4, "on the boat" & smiling. That's where our conversation began... a brief resume of how he came to Continental from the Navy and Colorado. I liked him instantly & he gave me all the time in the world, letting me look around his office, providing a brief narrative of the pictures, plaques, certificates, and other "stuff" that caught my eye. I told him about being born in Colorado & my father's WWII Naval Aviation combat experience as a twin .50 caliber turret gunner on the Lockheed Ventura. Dick told me that Continental adopted that very aircraft, the Lodestar, in the "early years." I felt a bond with this man & he gained my professional respect immediately, steeping me in Air Micronesia history... The development of Island-Hopping ideas and execution of dreams by a man named Bob Six... Continental Hotels, coral runways, aircraft accidents & mishaps, the B727's named "Ju-Ju" & "Nu-Ju", observations by topless female native islanders, etc. He graciously accepted my offer to provide IOE. (Upward mobility was there for the asking, so just ask... what a concept.) I was trained to do this in a few days time & waited patiently for my first "victim." (Frank Gicca... please forgive my inexperience, I remember... glad you survived!)
Many weeks later, while working a weekend turn back from Japan, GUM ops informed me that "Dick Floreani wanted to see me & was waiting in his office." (GULP!) "Rodger" was my VHF response. WOW! What had I done? Relax, regroup, replay... absolutely nothing... The walk to his office felt like a death-march for some nagging reason... He welcomed me in & I entered his office, Dick's demeanor was disarming & cordial. I looked at that A-4 photo & he was still (a good omen?) smiling... He then told me to relax... to "trust him & that this was a no jeopardy situation for me, really, you are in no trouble what-so-ever!"
(WHEW!)
Hang on now... here comes the "thrust" of the story...
Dick told me that while he was a probationary Second Officer on GUM, his father had become ill back in Denver. His family had called & requested that he come back "as soon as he could." (I was very naive, but intently focused on his story) He went on to explain that he had just one more trip to fly, then he could head straight to Denver for extended time with the family. So he made his choice & flew his schedule, not wanting to be a burden to flight operations & not wanting to compromise his probationary attendance. As I was slowly adding it all up, Dick told me, "My father died while I was enroute back to Denver... I want you to know that your father is stable, but has suffered a heart attack. Your mother called us & has requested that you come back as soon as you can." I could see the emotion & compassion in his eyes, I will NEVER forget the humanity that man displayed & the dignified manner in which he then stated "...so we have taken the liberty of arranging travel for your return to Minneapolis, you can leave your flight bag right here, if you like, the next flight leaves for Honolulu in 25 minutes... here's your ticket. I think you should go, right now & know that your job is secure and will be here for you when you return. If it takes three weeks, or three months... just let me know what you need, when you can... now GO!" I was already out the door.
Keep in mind, there was no such thing as Family Medical Leave, it was a weekend, I was a new-hire on probation, etc.
There's more to that story... it's all amazing, decent and good. I'll spare you the rest of my 27 hour trip back & having the chance to spend a few minutes with my father prior to his successful bypass surgery. Dick Floreani takes a place among great men. Bill Leeper, Chester James, and a dedicated other few that rose to position of Chief Pilot as advocates of line pilots, and of the profession. They made me LOVE this place. I still stand tall from their influence and impressions.
Why did I take so much time in relating this story? Because the differences between then and now could not be more stark.
It ****es me off that Fred Abbott is still part of this company. I am not alone, Fred. Every one of my 1987 brothers (I salute all of you) is ready to stand, toe-to-toe with you & face down your lies. You are still part of the Lorenzo model: divide and conquer. You were about my age in 1988 when, as the IAH Chief Pilot, you lost me forever. We had been, for several weeks, discussing the fine points of exactly how the 88-1R (furlough) bid entitled junior pilots to fly my status, in my original base, while I was advanced to EWR, out of seniority, to fly a reserve schedule virtually overnight, and kept hostage while the bid was subsequently "cancelled." A mistake? NO! Hotel room? NO! Passes to or from work? NO! (For the junior pilot, ask any one of the several hundred of us about 88-1R) You, Fred, as my Chief Pilot, quite unprofessionally & loudly, literally yelled this insult to my face: "Why don't you go work for United!" If you are man enough to recall, I stood up & with equal tone and lack of respect said "Why don't YOU! YOU seem to be the problem here!" My lack of respect for you continues to this day, Fred, & I stand up to you again and everything you've represented since 1987. I AM NOT ALONE! “Comm One” this... Stop mailing me your crap, DO NOT pretend you represent anything other than Lorenzo & all your money. If you truly desire harmonious pilot relations, resign. We will all jump for joy! Your place in history is secure, Fred, & you know my name.
08-07-2009, 03:50 PM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Posts: 258
Item 13: Special Guest Editorial by IAH Council 171 Vice-Chairman Mark Bolleter
Risk Management For Pilots
Johnny Cash wrote a song that epitomizes the plight of the Continental Pilot. “I hear a train a coming – coming round the bend, and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.” That verse from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” reminds of me the fact that we, as pilots, have all seen and heard the warning signs that could have prevented contract ’02. We were overly exposed to an “economic event.” To be fair, many other airlines were overly exposed, as well. Naturally we did not know terrorists would attack us on that fateful day, but we trusted our managers to protect us from that “Train coming around the bend.”
Now that we have lived under Contract ’02 for far too long, we all want our managers to insure that they will protect us and our company from these “unforeseen trains.” If management is prudent and manages risks correctly, we can and will get free from this concessionary contract sooner rather than later. There will be trains “a coming round the bend” soon enough.
Hurricanes, nor’easter’s, market corrections, terrorism, droughts, floods, pandemics, earth quakes, tsunami’s, geopolitical instability, wars, tribal conflicts in Africa, ethnic violence and insurrections are all realities of our world and all effect our global economy. Our world is hard to forecast, it is predictably unpredictable. The running joke in the executive suite when discussing long range planning is “what’s for lunch?” This truth reflects the reality that most airline managers only plan for six months in advance, at best. Has our highly compensated management team adequately protected us from these predictable “risks?” We do not know when these events will occur, but they often seem to take us off course and lead us to concessionary contracts.
What is a risk? As pilots we talk about and we brief all possible threats, and, to us, a risk is very similar to a threat. A threat is something that we realize is out there (terrain, or weather) and is something that could potentially hurt us if we do not discuss the reality and come up with ways to avoid these threats. A risk, I would submit, is a threat that has been quantified and qualified. Risk is a threat that has been picked apart into its smallest pieces in order to identify not only a cause, but possible solutions. In business, risks can be dissected. They can be “costed-out” so that their impact on revenue and cost management can be quantified.
As pilots, we hope and trust that our managers do their very best risk management. As we recall, Contract ’02 was about management’s failure in managing risks. We pilots ultimately took the brunt of management’s failure to hedge fuel, manage costs, and ultimately, these impacts on RASM.
I would like to discuss two threats to the airline attempt to determine whether these are threats or whether they could legitimately be classified as “potential risks.”
B-787: It appears that this may eventually be classified as, “The Little Engine That Could.” Or perhaps, the B-787 will become Boeing’s version of the “Hindenburg.” Optimism is in short supply when it comes to the 7-Late-7. The airplane recently underwent testing. The wings failed at “less than the normal” wing-loading which is required to pass FAA certification. Engineers and aviation managers are beginning to question not only the feasibility of the design, but the possibility that it may not perform its intended mission to the original specifications, in part due to the increased weight necessary to make the aircraft structurally sound and airworthy. For an airline in desperate need of more wide-body aircraft to go after the high revenue traffic and, therefore increase our RASM, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it may make the most sense to convert at least some of these 25 B787 orders into B-777 orders. Even when produced, the B787’s range will not be comparable to current highly successful and reliable versions of the B-777.
Fuel: Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article stating that CAL is completely un-hedged in 2010 while some of our competitors are hedged upwards of 47%. Remember back to 2005 when an 850 million dollar mistake in fuel hedging led us to Contract ’02. Management used the terrorist attacks and the economic fallout that followed to extract valuable labor concessions to help the airline survive. We did this by “working together.” Last year our management team ignored the severe drop in fuel pricing that was, at times, below $40.00 per barrel. Management waited to hedge until the price of fuel was far too high to reap any economic benefit-- over $140.00 per barrel! Yes, hedging costs money. It can add 8 to 15 dollars to the current price when overlaid on top of the futures curve. But we, as pilots, are asked to manage our flights in a highly efficient and proactive manner. We manage our flights with fuel conservation in mind to help our company save money before and during the flight. In flight we monitor and continuously adjust our plan to operate as efficiently as possible. Are our highly professional efforts and attention to detail being squandered away by our management team because they fail to put in place adequate hedges as we move forward? They are not just betting on the fuel market, they are betting on our futures. I hope they know what they are doing. Meanwhile, OPEC has publicly stated that $100.00/barrel oil is “fair.” As the economy continues to recover, so too does the petroleum industry. As the economy recovers, so too does the demand for energy and oil. Having been burned by hedges it is totally understandable. What is not understandable is why we have not re-vamped our procurement department and hired the right people to manage this issue and the associated financial risks.
As you can discern from the above, the B787 and fuel hedging mismanagement are two very big risks. They are not only risks to the pilots in preventing us from obtaining an industry leading contract, but they are potentially big risks that could impact the survival of our airline. These risks are not unlike the risks we had leading up to Contract ’02. The under-funded liabilities of our A fund, the failures in hedging, and our over reliance on the revenue limiting B-737-500. The most convenient way our company has found in the past to manage these risks is to rely heavily upon the labor cost advantage we help provide.
We’re all expected to “toe the line.” We are expected to be good little pilots and “buck up and suck it up.” Well that is a hard proposition when one has experienced over 35% inflation since one’s last pay raise. It’s hard to “suck it up” when poor risk management results in a contract that took too much away from so many people while our management team enjoys two fully funded (7 year schedule) and unfrozen retirements and eat from the ROBIC trough.
We are more than six months past our amendable date. As reserves are double pumped and pilots are junior manned, Johnny Cash reminds us, “I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry.”
“Continental is recognized as a leader in the area of employee relations. This is not an accident; it has grown from a strong commitment to the Working Together cornerstone that has been a consistent and integral part of CO’s Go Forward business plan…” - Captain Fred Abbott in the July 2009 issue of the Flight Operations Update.
Captain Jayson Baron, EWR Council 170 Chairman
[email protected]
First Officer Tara Cook, EWR Council 170 Vice Chairman
[email protected]
Captain Kaye Riggs, EWR Council 170 Secretary-Treasurer
[email protected]
Risk Management For Pilots
Johnny Cash wrote a song that epitomizes the plight of the Continental Pilot. “I hear a train a coming – coming round the bend, and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.” That verse from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” reminds of me the fact that we, as pilots, have all seen and heard the warning signs that could have prevented contract ’02. We were overly exposed to an “economic event.” To be fair, many other airlines were overly exposed, as well. Naturally we did not know terrorists would attack us on that fateful day, but we trusted our managers to protect us from that “Train coming around the bend.”
Now that we have lived under Contract ’02 for far too long, we all want our managers to insure that they will protect us and our company from these “unforeseen trains.” If management is prudent and manages risks correctly, we can and will get free from this concessionary contract sooner rather than later. There will be trains “a coming round the bend” soon enough.
Hurricanes, nor’easter’s, market corrections, terrorism, droughts, floods, pandemics, earth quakes, tsunami’s, geopolitical instability, wars, tribal conflicts in Africa, ethnic violence and insurrections are all realities of our world and all effect our global economy. Our world is hard to forecast, it is predictably unpredictable. The running joke in the executive suite when discussing long range planning is “what’s for lunch?” This truth reflects the reality that most airline managers only plan for six months in advance, at best. Has our highly compensated management team adequately protected us from these predictable “risks?” We do not know when these events will occur, but they often seem to take us off course and lead us to concessionary contracts.
What is a risk? As pilots we talk about and we brief all possible threats, and, to us, a risk is very similar to a threat. A threat is something that we realize is out there (terrain, or weather) and is something that could potentially hurt us if we do not discuss the reality and come up with ways to avoid these threats. A risk, I would submit, is a threat that has been quantified and qualified. Risk is a threat that has been picked apart into its smallest pieces in order to identify not only a cause, but possible solutions. In business, risks can be dissected. They can be “costed-out” so that their impact on revenue and cost management can be quantified.
As pilots, we hope and trust that our managers do their very best risk management. As we recall, Contract ’02 was about management’s failure in managing risks. We pilots ultimately took the brunt of management’s failure to hedge fuel, manage costs, and ultimately, these impacts on RASM.
I would like to discuss two threats to the airline attempt to determine whether these are threats or whether they could legitimately be classified as “potential risks.”
B-787: It appears that this may eventually be classified as, “The Little Engine That Could.” Or perhaps, the B-787 will become Boeing’s version of the “Hindenburg.” Optimism is in short supply when it comes to the 7-Late-7. The airplane recently underwent testing. The wings failed at “less than the normal” wing-loading which is required to pass FAA certification. Engineers and aviation managers are beginning to question not only the feasibility of the design, but the possibility that it may not perform its intended mission to the original specifications, in part due to the increased weight necessary to make the aircraft structurally sound and airworthy. For an airline in desperate need of more wide-body aircraft to go after the high revenue traffic and, therefore increase our RASM, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it may make the most sense to convert at least some of these 25 B787 orders into B-777 orders. Even when produced, the B787’s range will not be comparable to current highly successful and reliable versions of the B-777.
Fuel: Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article stating that CAL is completely un-hedged in 2010 while some of our competitors are hedged upwards of 47%. Remember back to 2005 when an 850 million dollar mistake in fuel hedging led us to Contract ’02. Management used the terrorist attacks and the economic fallout that followed to extract valuable labor concessions to help the airline survive. We did this by “working together.” Last year our management team ignored the severe drop in fuel pricing that was, at times, below $40.00 per barrel. Management waited to hedge until the price of fuel was far too high to reap any economic benefit-- over $140.00 per barrel! Yes, hedging costs money. It can add 8 to 15 dollars to the current price when overlaid on top of the futures curve. But we, as pilots, are asked to manage our flights in a highly efficient and proactive manner. We manage our flights with fuel conservation in mind to help our company save money before and during the flight. In flight we monitor and continuously adjust our plan to operate as efficiently as possible. Are our highly professional efforts and attention to detail being squandered away by our management team because they fail to put in place adequate hedges as we move forward? They are not just betting on the fuel market, they are betting on our futures. I hope they know what they are doing. Meanwhile, OPEC has publicly stated that $100.00/barrel oil is “fair.” As the economy continues to recover, so too does the petroleum industry. As the economy recovers, so too does the demand for energy and oil. Having been burned by hedges it is totally understandable. What is not understandable is why we have not re-vamped our procurement department and hired the right people to manage this issue and the associated financial risks.
As you can discern from the above, the B787 and fuel hedging mismanagement are two very big risks. They are not only risks to the pilots in preventing us from obtaining an industry leading contract, but they are potentially big risks that could impact the survival of our airline. These risks are not unlike the risks we had leading up to Contract ’02. The under-funded liabilities of our A fund, the failures in hedging, and our over reliance on the revenue limiting B-737-500. The most convenient way our company has found in the past to manage these risks is to rely heavily upon the labor cost advantage we help provide.
We’re all expected to “toe the line.” We are expected to be good little pilots and “buck up and suck it up.” Well that is a hard proposition when one has experienced over 35% inflation since one’s last pay raise. It’s hard to “suck it up” when poor risk management results in a contract that took too much away from so many people while our management team enjoys two fully funded (7 year schedule) and unfrozen retirements and eat from the ROBIC trough.
We are more than six months past our amendable date. As reserves are double pumped and pilots are junior manned, Johnny Cash reminds us, “I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry.”
“Continental is recognized as a leader in the area of employee relations. This is not an accident; it has grown from a strong commitment to the Working Together cornerstone that has been a consistent and integral part of CO’s Go Forward business plan…” - Captain Fred Abbott in the July 2009 issue of the Flight Operations Update.
Captain Jayson Baron, EWR Council 170 Chairman
[email protected]
First Officer Tara Cook, EWR Council 170 Vice Chairman
[email protected]
Captain Kaye Riggs, EWR Council 170 Secretary-Treasurer
[email protected]
08-10-2009, 04:56 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: Capt. B737
Posts: 329
I see what you're looking at, but I can't tell too much from that system bid page. Looks like transfer of flying out of EWR to IAH? Either a trail balloon to stoke up fear,(no flt. OOPS bulletin), or some 13 y.o. hacked into the company side of CCS.
08-10-2009, 08:00 PM
#10
Recommend Retention
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: Bigfoot
Posts: 1,077
I preferred the last system bid where I was a 777 CA for a day and not staring down a furlough.
You're right though - I think it's going to change a few more times. Somehow I don't think I'll be displaced to IAH from EWR.
You're right though - I think it's going to change a few more times. Somehow I don't think I'll be displaced to IAH from EWR.
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