New Open Replacement (AVBL) 2000-2999

[jimntx]

The result was interesting. 3 of the 5 lines went to people in 17,000 range (I am low 18,000s). The other 2 lines went to 2 of the most junior people in the base. If I'm not mistaken the 2 really junior people are both commuters. I know one of them is.

I have no idea if the ones senior to me decided that it worked for them or they just forgot to bid. I still think, though, that whether people bid it or not, it is reserve with limited pre-plot capability. Since you can't be released until 1400 the day before an available day, it would be hard to plan anything in advance.

 

[jersey777]

The result was interesting. 3 of the 5 lines went to people in 17,000 range (I am low 18,000s). The other 2 lines went to 2 of the most junior people in the base. If I'm not mistaken the 2 really junior people are both commuters. I know one of them is.

I have no idea if the ones senior to me decided that it worked for them or they just forgot to bid. I still think, though, that whether people bid it or not, it is reserve with limited pre-plot capability. Since you can't be released until 1400 the day before an available day, it would be hard to plan anything in advance.

Back in the early 80's there was no availability and you were either holding a schedule or you were on reserve. There was nothing else. Availability was originally created to allow flight attendants to plot open time trips on their own thus giving us more control over our schedules and getting us off reserve. Over the years availabilty has changed. When I started flying in 1991 you called scheduling the day before an available day and they told you what open trips they had. I remember calling them and if they didn't have a trip I liked I would asked to be released. It wasn't unheard of then. Then when I was based in DFW in the mid 90's I flew availablity because it was all I could hold. It was awful. By then you were able to connect to decs from home...does anybody remember the contraptions you hooked up to your tv set to get sabre?..they used to advertise in Skyword. You could look at trips here or you could call an automated system on the phone which was worthless because all it told you was departure and arrival times and layover city. You never knew how many legs etc...Then you had to call crew schedule manually to have them plot the trips and you couldn't call till 10 am. They would NOT tell you what they had open..you had to tell them what sequence you wanted and believe me..they rushed you off the phone. As you can imagine...everyone called at once and you could spend up to 45 minutes getting a busy signal and then find your trip was taken. It was a real fight. I flew availability as recently as last winter and I have to say the experience is much much better...everything but the 5 am crap. Anyways...the point of my post is to show that the new availabilty is just one more change to the ways trips are covered. Personally I don't see a drastic change because here at JFK there wasn't anything to plot in open time except for the next day. There might be some turns over the weekends but you couldn't plot those unless it was the first or last day or if the stars all aligned.

 

[Skymess]

I have no idea if the ones senior to me decided that it worked for them or they just forgot to bid. I still think, though, that whether people bid it or not, it is reserve with limited pre-plot capability. Since you can't be released until 1400 the day before an available day, it would be hard to plan anything in advance.

I agree with you that it is going to be difficult to maneuver if you are one of those who likes to get in and get out. I also happen to not like availability, even though I bid it on certain months of the year and back myself up with it every month.

I do wonder if the people who held it bid it or didn't bid enough. It could be possible that many who held it just wanted it because they want to fly a better schedule than one they are usually stuck with.

Believe it or not, there are many junjor people at JFK who get upset that they didn't hold availability. Maybe they are the ones who will be happy to have something that allows them to pick their schedules vs. flying 20 on, low time, trips.

Remember that one person's garbage is another's treasure. It is also good to remember that not everyone knows how to double trip trade or to trade with open time. Those people who don't actually keep those low time trips every month. The 2000 lines might look like manna to them.

 

[jimntx]

I agree with you that it is going to be difficult to maneuver if you are one of those who likes to get in and get out. I also happen to not like availability, even though I bid it on certain months of the year and back myself up with it every month.

I also back up my bids with line 3000 every month. However, this year January is the only month where I held nothing and got Availability. I've held a line every line month since. But then, I don't get hung up on "I won't fly 4 leg days" or "I won't do TUL layovers", "I won't fly #1", etc. The only lines I won't bid are the 1-on-2-off turn lines because I'm a commuter. (There was one of those on the May bidsheet that wasn't commutable on either end; so, for a commuter it took 3 days to do one day of flying. Ugly. )

When I was based at DFW, I always bid availability from DEC through MAR. I would fly like crazy the first 2 weeks, max out, then go skiing. Not possible now because there is rarely anything other than minimum time turns in Open time. (See below.)

It could be possible that many who held it just wanted it because they want to fly a better schedule than one they are usually stuck with.

Or, they just don't know how to bid. I'm in the bottom 50 in seniority out of 452 f/as at SLT; so, if I can hold a line that I am happy with, I don't see how someone senior to me could not do so. Besides, open time at SLT would not be a way to "fly a better schedule." Anytime something other than minimum time turns drops into Open time here, Scheduling transfers it out of base. I just flew a nice 3-day and the #4 was an ORD reserve. During the same period, I know of at least 2 SLT reserves who are commuters who sat in Ops in SLT doing nothing????

The only people I can imagine would want a 2000 line are the people who don't want to fly, but can't afford to drop all their trips; so, they might bid a 2000 line then hope that Scheduling doesn't have anything when they call in.

 

[Skymess]

Or, they just don't know how to bid. I'm in the bottom 50 in seniority out of 452 f/as at SLT; so, if I can hold a line that I am happy with, I don't see how someone senior to me could not do so. Besides, open time at SLT would not be a way to "fly a better schedule." Anytime something other than minimum time turns drops into Open time here, Scheduling transfers it out of base. I just flew a nice 3-day and the #4 was an ORD reserve. During the same period, I know of at least 2 SLT reserves who are commuters who sat in Ops in SLT doing nothing????

The only people I can imagine would want a 2000 line are the people who don't want to fly, but can't afford to drop all their trips; so, they might bid a 2000 line then hope that Scheduling doesn't have anything when they call in.

You know, the problem is that you might be smarter than the average bear so you probably can't comprehend that:

a. some people like to fly garbage

b. someone who hates europe loves caribbean and can't
understand how someone can like europe and vice versa.

c. some people have no concept of the fact that what they bid they don't have to fly.

d. ttot: "what's that?"

e. Double TT: "only for trip traders and geniuses."

f. some people just want certain days off and they will fly whatever just to get it.

g. some people don't really care what they fly because they like everything or they hate everything and just show up for medical benefits.

h. some junior people think holding avbl is a great bid, even if it means being the company's b&tch. Ditto for junior people who fly purser.

 

[jimntx]

Update on line 2000...

It turns out I was right that if on Availability you can not pick up a trip on your days off that touches an available day--and creates a possible illegality on your available days. All five of the 2000 lines for SLT for July had their days off plotted as 1 block of 3 days, and the rest as blocks of two days; so, there was a chance to pick up 1 turn during the month.

It wasn't even offered in SLT for August because we are short of f/as. We have 16 f/as transferring in for September, but I just learned that 5 more SLT f/as have resigned effective 01SEP; in addition I know of one f/a who got a hardship transfer out of SLT; so, we have a net increase of only 10 f/as.

It will be interesting to see if line 2000 is made permanent.

 

[Nor'Easta]

Update on line 2000...

It turns out I was right that if on Availability you can not pick up a trip on your days off that touches an available day--and creates a possible illegality on your available days. All five of the 2000 lines for SLT for July had their days off plotted as 1 block of 3 days, and the rest as blocks of two days; so, there was a chance to pick up 1 turn during the month.

It wasn't even offered in SLT for August because we are short of f/as. We have 16 f/as transferring in for September, but I just learned that 5 more SLT f/as have resigned effective 01SEP; in addition I know of one f/a who got a hardship transfer out of SLT; so, we have a net increase of only 10 f/as.

It will be interesting to see if line 2000 is made permanent.

Do you ever stop the complaining? It's time to find career number 7!