TristarJS30

Comair wants everyone to leave, yes. Who is leaving? About 300 junior pilots involuntarily or a handful of middle of the road guys lucky enough to have somewhere to move on to.

The people they are trying to force out without putting up the money to get them to quit are never going anywhere. It would make more sense for them to ride the company into the ground than to go elsewhere and lose seniority and pay.

On a side note, the JFK bid packets for December have a min line of 77. Whats the big deal if it goes down 2 hours to 75 for a few more months (assuming the LOA is extended for a set amount of time)

heading180

I tend to agree with ALPA, and I am one of the ones furloughed. Those who have been with the company (top 500) deserve their good pay, seniority, and everything else that comes along with what they have earned. Some moons ago they also made their start in this industry, went through the ups and downs of their time, paid their dues, and 40-60 pilots just doesn't seem worth the sacrifice. Furloughs in the airline industry is not anything new.

TurboDog

If the bid packet for December has a min line of 77 hours, then you should see that the company isn't following the rules. The big deal is if we go down another 2 hours(so you say) then they will just build lines a few hours under that and continue to not follow the rules.

As far as the people that they want to leave being bought out, it will never happen. The place is being liquidated. They wouldn't pay tons of money to buy out senior guys and then close the doors. Instead they are shedding whatever weight they can so water can replace the empty space in the ship forcing it to sink. And yes, DS will go down with this ship.

Aren't we overdue for a net conference?

H46Bubba

See that's the problem! It's like a broken record repeating itself over and over. It's not supposed to be about the top 500, it's suppossed to be about the pilot group as a whole; from most junior FO to the most senior CA. The cycle needs to be broken and a new LEC and MEC elected who will fight for the whole pilot group. Delta knows what's going on and they're the ones calling the shots. They're really not happy with the Comair MEC and will continue to exhert pressure.

mmaviator

bubba

i agree with ur statement and if you were to ask me 100 years down the road when i'm part of the 500, you would get a different answer then.

SeeAreJay

It isn't just QOL and pay for the top that is the concern, it IS the whole group. If we agree (not that WE agreed last time, it was stuck to us by the MEC, but I digress) to fly lower line values,where is the guarantee for more days off? I should get more days off with a 77 or less hour line than I do with a 86 hour line, shouldn't I?? If not, I'll be spending my life away from home with nothing to show for it. How about improvements to the RIG to compensate for more time away from home with less flying?

Is the company trying to negotiate anything besides "take lower line values-OR ELSE....."

We have to keep this a job that is worth coming back to or the furloughees are the "lucky ones" who are now motivated, and have the time to find a job elsewhere, and will be Sr. to me at "the next airline".

NO, I don't for a second believe they are "lucky", this garbage is affecting
all of us to different degrees, furloughees the most severely presently. They have my utmost sympathy.

TurboDog

From what everyone is saying, crew forcasting is telling the furloughed guys not to expect a call back. Is this true?

Being that our airplanes are leaving the property, the only way I see people receiving call backs would be if we were given more airplanes. I don't think Comair is even optomistic about the united flying anymore, or they wouldn't be giving airplanes back.

SeeAreJay

Haven't talked to Forcasting so i don't know what they're saying. Even IF they said it, it's only true until they get their next set of orders (refer to cuts/growth/cuts in July/August time frame.

I agree, if aircraft continue to leave the whole discussion is pretty much moot and even the most Sr. pilots have a limited shelf life. Let's see, at present rates, 200+ gone since August (when dis. notices came out) , that's 66/month, carry the 2, minus mv^2, plus the inverse of the rotaion speed, equals this place a ground service and mx only company by this time next year.

heading180

Honestly, I am so glad I am furloughed. Of course its not fun to not have a paycheck but as stated earlier, I am looking for a new job. My app is in a Mesaba and I hope to be successful there. I have sat reserve, short call, for a year at Comair. It has honestly been the worst year of my life. I have never felt so dis-respected and so far away from what I thought this dream was. I will absolutely not come back to Comair just to sit for another 1.5 years on reserve, then wait another 6 to upgrade, just to sit another 6 on reserve as Captain.

My recommendation to anyone at Comair who will go back on reserve status, or especially if you are in that new set of 86 or whatever, get your application in elsewhere now-- before all the spots are filled. Atleast maybe you can get it in in enough time to have some people below you.

But there again, those same exact thoughts (have some people below me) were on my mind when I applied at Comair during the big hiring boom.

BlueMoon

The min line value is a pay-cut....no pay cuts shall be taken! I don't care if I go back to reserve or get canned.