Company to eliminate Availability Lines

[jimntx]

Jim,

You never fly avbl, do you? The only difference with the old avbl to now is that you can't get your avbl days released with straight avbl unless you fly the requisite hours. If you are straight avbl you can fly all of your days in a row, even if you don't have avbl days, and get released. The only day they won't release is the last day.
can guarantee that open time trips would be scarce.

Are you kidding? At my seniority, I get stuck with availability every other month. I will NEVER figure out bidding at SLT.

January--I bid every line on the bid sheet. In fact, I bid them twice because I like to fly #1 or #2; so, I bid all the lines (in the order I wanted to fly them) with those positions then rebid the same lines with position #3 and #4 (we only have S80 and 75 lines at SLT). Backed it all up with line 3000 and got availability. Held nothing.

February--decided, what the hey. I'm only going to get avbl; so, I'll just bid the lines I really want to fly and not waste any time with bidding. Bid about 40 lines, and held #2 on a 75 line (which usually goes senior). So, go figure.

 

[Garfield1966]

What a crock of crap! Not a single pax complaint. How in world would a CS get a pax complaint? Give me a break!

AVBL is not going away. So Garfy, get a life!

I realize this may come as a shock to both of you but I have not been in crew skd for my entire career with AA. This would be my 4th department with AA.

 

[scot]

I can just feel the love between crews and scheduling here, but this isnt the place for personal attacks. You can do that on your own dime and time. 1 warning only on this thread!

 

[Hunter]

I can just feel the love between crews and scheduling here, but this isnt the place for personal attacks. You can do that on your own dime and time. 1 warning only on this thread!

Scot -

I do not intend any disrespect and I am in agreement that this thread has drifted somewhat; however, in reality it is the posters "time" that is the "dime" is it not?

Hunter

 

[Garfield1966]

Maybe if they also allowed us to pick up straight out of open time on our days off without having an AVBL day or without having to trade a trip, there wouldn't be any trips in open time for reserves to fly. Put more control in the FAs hands and I can guarantee that open time trips would be scarce.

That’s how AVBL worked before the RL/RP split. RL’s can plot seq on any DO or AVBL day or any combo of the two. The problem still exists that there is no AVBL coverage at the end of the month. RP’s currently are the only ones who must fly AVBL entirely on AVBL days. How ever, as stated previously given the flexibility of RP in terms of MU and AVBL day moves, coverage at the end of the month in terms of AVBL’s is basically non existent.

 

[scot]

in reality it is the posters "time" that is the "dime" is it not?

Hunter

As long as no one feels the need to alert the mods to clean it up, have at it. Otherwise, certain items would best be discussed thru PMS or not at all. How long have you been reading the AA board?

 

[IORFA]

Garfield tattled to you, the moderator? His skin must be getting thinner.

 

[scot]

Actually several regulars on here enjoy reading the boards for the discussions and learning things other than how much of a p!**ing match certain posters can get into each week.

 

[B.O.B.]

I realize this may come as a shock to both of you but I have not been in crew skd for my entire career with AA. This would be my 4th department with AA.

At least you no longer deal with our pax, face to face. That would drive them to our competition. Since you're in CS, we as f/a's can file a complaint against you if you mess with us!! Remember Garfy, all calls are recorded!!

 

[Garfield1966]

Garfield tattled to you, the moderator? His skin must be getting thinner.

No, just tired of his pointless rants. I did not feel like getting punted off the site for going toe to toe with him so sent a message to the moderator. I have refrained from insults and personal attack and I would expect the same.

Be that as it may, I am curious how authentic the rumor of AVBL going away is. Reading Jims original post leaves it unclear if this issue is just up for discussion or if they are ironing out the details for something to be release in the near future. If as the post suggest that this will be coming "with in a very few months" I would have thought we would have heard something by now.

 

[Hunter]

How long have you been reading the AA board?

For nearly three years, I have regularly read the AA board. Of late, I have also been reading the NW board. You will note that I rarely post to either, however.

Hunter

 

[PlayTheOdds]

I really wish you guys could read this from an outsiders point of view. It's a lot like watching an American film dubbed in Chinese.

I know I am setting myself up here for pure ridicule but I would like to attempt to translate this into English for our guests that visit here. If I get to far off the mark there is not a doubt in my mind that you guys will set the record straight. So please allow me to display my infinite ignorance...

Within a 30 day period F/A's bid their flights by seniority. This means that the most senior F/A's get the choicest flights and also get their required flight time in first for the given month. What is that required flight time?

What is happening here though is that all the F/As are getting their required flight time in well before the end of the month leaving the company short on F/A's. Now to off set this shortage there is this Reserve pool of F/As that more than likely gets filled from the bottom of the seniority list up. I take it that if you are called upon from this reserve that you do not have to accept the flight, or there are only so many F/As that can be placed in the reserve at any given time or an F/A only has to serve on reserve so many times a year and the reserve simply isn't large enough to handle the number of F/As required at the end of the month. Once again how many hours or flight legs must an F/A put in any given month?

 

[Skymess]

Be that as it may, I am curious how authentic the rumor of AVBL going away is. Reading Jims original post leaves it unclear if this issue is just up for discussion or if they are ironing out the details for something to be release in the near future. If as the post suggest that this will be coming "with in a very few months" I would have thought we would have heard something by now.

Garfield, did you forget what company you work for? Nobody knows what is going on at AA until the day they decide to do it. It's true in every department. I've been on delays before where we were waiting to board, or have boarded, and the only way we knew the plane was going out of service was when catering came to take the meals off. The caterers usually know before the pilots, crew, and agents. The news media usually knows company info before the employees.

Communication within AA is sorely lacking.

I've heard, as others have, it was addressed by an APFA scheduling coordinator who was approached by Roy Everett. I heard him say, at the last JFK town hall meeting, he wanted it gone. When? if? and how? is another matter.

 

[meechy36]

I really wish you guys could read this from an outsiders point of view. It's a lot like watching an American film dubbed in Chinese.

I know I am setting myself up here for pure ridicule but I would like to attempt to translate this into English for our guests that visit here. If I get to far off the mark there is not a doubt in my mind that you guys will set the record straight. So please allow me to display my infinite ignorance...

Within a 30 day period F/A's bid their flights by seniority. This means that the most senior F/A's get the choicest flights and also get their required flight time in first for the given month. What is that required flight time?

What is happening here though is that all the F/As are getting their required flight time in well before the end of the month leaving the company short on F/A's. Now to off set this shortage there is this Reserve pool of F/As that more than likely gets filled from the bottom of the seniority list up. I take it that if you are called upon from this reserve that you do not have to accept the flight, or there are only so many F/As that can be placed in the reserve at any given time or an F/A only has to serve on reserve so many times a year and the reserve simply isn't large enough to handle the number of F/As required at the end of the month. Once again how many hours or flight legs must an F/A put in any given month?


Just what we need, input on our work lives from a Northwest Scab. Go back to "your" board and troll, we have enough problems without you on here.

mikeBOS

 

[jimntx]

Reading Jims original post leaves it unclear if this issue is just up for discussion or if they are ironing out the details for something to be release in the near future.

Bingo! That's exactly why I posted it in the first place, Gar. I was hoping that someone had some specific information about what was going on. I didn't intend for it to turn into another crew scheduling vs. f/a p*ss*ng contest.

I hope you realize I was just kidding you. You couldn't pay me enough to be a scheduler at AA.

The main result I see from eliminating AVBL lines is that reserve will go much more senior in some of the bases like LAX and DFW. There is no one on the current f/a payroll, that can be forced to serve reserve more than 3 times/year. Everyone has more than 3 years seniority. So, more senior people will be back serving reserve on occasion.

Availability was intended to take some of the pressure off reserves and allow fewer people to serve reserve on any given month. And, I am the first to admit that when I was based at DFW, I used to bid availability during ski season, fly my butt off for 2 weeks, max out, then go skiing the rest of the month. Availability is a pain in SLT because almost nothing besides 5-hour minimum time terms ever drops into open time.

And, they are the turns which are minimum flight time, but higher TAFB. Such as, STL-LGA-STL turn, but with a 2.43 hour sit at LGA before the return. That ain't nice.