StickPig

The company can keep those pay rates if it means giving up SAP. No way in Satan I’ll vote a yes to anything PBS related. Maybe they should examine the CA rates to address the bypass issue. I’m completely fine with my current FO salary & unrestricted SAP.

Irishblackbird

I'm curious, and I am only posing a question. Doesn't Spirit have pbs, but the pilots still have some ability to drop trips or tailor their schedule? I thought I also heard they don't have a 65 hour floor minimum. Again, I have no factual info on their scheduling process, but I thought I heard they have a decent system whereby the pilot has a fair amount of control of when they work.

If we end up with something other than the flexibility of what our current system offers, then we better find something that is just as good, that another carrier has proven reliable.

I am 100% for SAP, and don't want it neutered in way.

Irishblackbird

Your absolutely right in your reasoning, in fact I have heard similar thought's from other crewmembers here regarding any negotiations. We are the only one of the wholly owned subsidiaries that have what management wants, and SAP is the kryptonite to AAGs plan. Mainline will need pilots in the next five years and we better makes sure that we are the lions share of those jobs.

The only problem I see to something like this coming to fruition, is the dissimilar unions, and ALPA with its nutless attorneys.

chrisreedrules

AA and WO managment have looked into the possibility of a “staple” of sorts. This was a coupe years ago from my understanding. They concluded that it did not make financial sense for a myriad of reasons. That was before a lot of the raises in pay we’ve seen. It is my personal opinion that some sort of absorption of the WO AA regionals will take place within the next 3-4 years. I don’t base that statement on anything other than my own personal opinion from examining the current (keyword) trends. I’ve made several “educated predictions” on here over the years and most have turned out to be pretty accurate. I’m curious if this one will be as well...

I think Delta and United will likely invest heavily in bridge or “pathway” college programs where they select candidates and pay for them to go to college in exchange for signing their soul away to the respective legacy airline. They will slowly move towards military and pathway programs to fill their classes and they may actually hire less from their regional subsidiaries because they still want to maintain their cheap regional feed and won’t want to gut it. Pay at their codeshare regionals will go up considerably but still be far below legacy pay rates.

American absorbs the WO regionals and starts everyone at a lower pay scale but everyone gets a mainline seniority number from day 1. Keeps their costs lower and ensures a constant supply of pilots. And I know many mainline pilots malign the idea because it screws those military pilots who are separating and want to work at AA. But I don’t believe they give a flying fork where their pilots come from as long as they meet the minimum standards and the shareholders can keep lining their pockets. If it makes dollars it makes sense.

BizJet

Talked to the guys in CAK today. They said it was voted down by almost a 95% margin. I told him I hope they get what they want soon. We need them to fix our aircraft!

Irishblackbird

I really hope your record of predictions continues with this one! I have heard this one from others as well.

With regard to the "pathway programs" I hope they fail miserably. There are plenty of qualified pilots in this industry who are trying to graduate to the next level. Then they bring in this bs pathway program to usurp the efforts of the guys who are stuck in a rut, or was part of the lost decade. I'd sure hate to be that last guy who got stuck with 6 figure debt only to be left behind by the "pathway kid" who had his training paid for and went straight to a mainline.

BizJet

I've been told by at least three mainline guys that AAG hired a contract lawyer last spring. This guy's sole job is to figure out how to intergrate all four contracts. The pilots said it won't be overnight but here in the next year or so you should start seeing us going towards AA standardization. This will ultimately lead to us being absorbed as a Fleet Group.

That was last spring. So far we've seen a rewrite of our POH to fit the AA style manuals, a revamped AA standard checklist, and our QRHs are currently undergoing a rewrite.

So these rumors may actually hold water.

Camel Dancer

Spirit doesn't have PBS. To my understanding that is specifically what has been holding up their new pay with contract for over 2 years. I think it's a tit for tat scenario unfolding everywhere.
We will give you more money, but you have to take PBS.

chrisreedrules

PBS is what everyone wants because they are seeing what’s coming over the next 5-10 years. There aren’t enough pilots. The regionals are feeling the pain right now, but the other corners of the airline industry aren’t immune. One way to combat the shortage is to maximize efficiency. PBS is just one more tool to do that.

Jatinsel

It has been 6 months (and 2 days) since DOH and it still says inactive on My ID travel for ZED tickets. Must I contact someone to activate?