Originally Posted by e6bpilot

I did recently get a release that told me I was landing at 2600 Herb time, so sounds like the same technology wizards that got us through Y2K are on it.
We will definitely see red eyes soon. It's a foregone conclusion. How this airline has gotten this far without flying them is impressive, but pushing the edges of the schedule out further and further every year has finally gotten us to a breaking point. 5am departures and 2am arrivals are ridiculous. Anybody crying about redeyes, guess what....we already fly them. There are still early east coast AMs in places like Denver. During peak flying times, our crews are waking up at 1am body clock time and doing 3 legs. That is way worse than a traditional 1 leg redeye from LAS to MCO.
From a customer service, revenue, and aircraft utilization standpoint, having a small number of redeye flights in your system just makes sense. I don't like flying the backside of the clock either. I did it for a lot of years. I honestly think what we do now on east coast AM trips is worse.

Originally Posted by Brickfire

True True unrelated.

One is a ticket sales logistical issue
One is a airplane operational issue

Southwest recently reprogrammed its sales computers to allow overnight connections. You can land late at night on one (non-redeye) flight and leave the next morning on another (non-redeye) flight that are linked under the same PNR.

But - at present - there are not aircraft that take off late at night and land early morning.

Originally Posted by flyguy81

I'll believe it when I see it, but recently in training a high up scheduling manager said the shoulder flying is going away for the most part next year. They're aiming for the earliest departures to be around 0600 local time...redeye would allow for a flight to land, be cleaned and turned for the "1st flight of the day". She said nobody likes the shoulder stuff (from pax to crews to mgt)...it was a means to an end during Rona when we were short planes and crews. Redeyes would be isolated to a few markets (HI and some west coast to east coast flights).

Originally Posted by waterskisabersw

I agree about the protections and the red eye override portion of the pay, however the overall pay will drive at least half of this flying to be super senior. Plenty of people who will like the idea of flying a "3" day while only actually being gone from home 2 nights and 1day.

Originally Posted by hoover

have you seen sw do anything like the other airlines? Itll be 2 legs and a red eye or a redy and 2 more legs. No way theyd let pilots only fly 1 leg a day.
They'll load it up and when pilots call out fatigue in record numbers, like now, they'll say the system is working

Originally Posted by JohnnyTexas

I think this is fantastic news…as long as I don’t have to fly it.

…although double time might wake me up.

Originally Posted by waterskisabersw

Your first scenario would be allowed, second scenario not. Only one deadhead (no flying) allowed after a redeye in the contract (unless they change it in the new contract).

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

It isn't a concession. It's a thing. We just have a company too inept to capitalize on it.