FedEx closing CGN, LAX, and ANC MD11. New system bid for all of the changes.

[MikeD]

It’s crack cocaine


The pilot group was flourishing under a good contract. The company learned that pilots will metaphorically slay one another over a green slip and sometimes set aside the contract and learned it could be profitable.

Never mind if it was illegal, that GS/IA was MIIIIIIIINE!!!

“He made a special deal with crew scheduling so I’m going to call his house 100x and make my own special deal with crew scheduling! I’m gonna key his car!”

I got a weird text from a guy who got mad that I called in sick 24 hours out instead of waiting until the last minute because it could have been a GS.

“Do not contact me again”

And the chefs kiss, those pilots who pick up open time when company pilots are on furlough. Not just back stabbers, but knife twisters. These pilots are the ultimate “well they should’ve tried being more senior; and they wouldn’t be on furlough” guys.

 

[GypsyPilot]

Yeah, guys with 9 years are leaving to start over somewhere else. With 7 years here, I'm wondering if I screwed up by staying. A guy from my new hire class just started over at United and already seems happier.

Yep. I’ve been here almost eight years, and have been agonizing over it. The only thing keeping me from bailing is I think the economy is going to slow, and I am reluctant to be on the bottom of a seniority list after so much hiring has happened. In my new hire class at SkyWest in 2011, we had a guy in there that was back at OO for his 3rd time, as it was his SECOND furlough from United. That scares me.

I’m also in my late 40s, so getting furloughed would be really tough to recover from. I’m around 60% on the master seniority list, so the logical move is to stay for the pension and retire early. I also max out my 401k (and my wife’s), plus our IRAs so we’re on track for that at least.

 

[MikeD]

Yep. I’ve been here almost eight years, and have been agonizing over it. The only thing keeping me from bailing is I think the economy is going to slow, and I am reluctant to be on the bottom of a seniority list after so much hiring has happened. In my new hire class at SkyWest in 2011, we had a guy in there that was back at OO for his 3rd time, as it was his SECOND furlough from United. That scares me.

I’m also in my late 40s, so getting furloughed would be really tough to recover from. I’m around 60% on the master seniority list, so the logical move is to stay for the pension and retire early. I also max out my 401k (and my wife’s), plus our IRAs so we’re on track for that at least.

Curiously, and somewhat related, what is making FedEx management believe their MDs will be returning to the line at some point, as oppoaed to UPS management who finally threw in the towel on them?

 

[GypsyPilot]

Curiously, and somewhat related, what is making FedEx management believe their MDs will be returning to the line at some point, as oppoaed to UPS management who finally threw in the towel on them?

I don’t know. I don’t believe anything they say (and I’m not on any social media or work chats), so I’m not a good person to ask. Maybe @mikecweb knows.

 

[MikeD]

I don’t know. I don’t believe anything they say (and I’m not on any social media or work chats), so I’m not a good person to ask. Maybe @mikecweb knows.

Fair answer. And it’s just a curious question I figured I’d ask someone who is actually there, versus unrelated random pilot who has random opinion on it. Curious because at least from where I’m sitting, I’ve seen nothing from the FAA regarding any change, fix, inspection, or otherwise possible resolution to their emergency grounding order..

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I got a weird text from a guy who got mad that I called in sick 24 hours out instead of waiting until the last minute because it could have been a GS.

“Do not contact me again”

Holy crap. Someone Iike that exists?! Yikes

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

And the chefs kiss, those pilots who pick up open time when company pilots are on furlough. Not just back stabbera, but knife twisters. These pilots are the ultimate “well they should’ve tried being more senior; and they wouldn’t be on furlough” guys.

Oh we had a guy in our internal pilot forum complaining how line averages were so low, so why can’t we furlough pilots so he can credit more.

 

[ERfly]

Curiously, and somewhat related, what is making FedEx management believe their MDs will be returning to the line at some point, as oppoaed to UPS management who finally threw in the towel on them?

Wall Street. I'm fully convinced it's to keep the investors at bay and the stock price up.

You're correct in that Boeing and the FAA have said absolutely nothing. Each day that goes by, I believe there's less and less of a chance she comes back.

 

[ERfly]

Oooooo yeah. I remember those days well. Now most of my coworkers are stabbing each other in the face if they can't credit 160 hrs because they'll starve otherwise.

We have those type here. They're the biggest whiners on our Facebook group and make the most noise, then they block their calendars and pick up draft, Advance Volunteer and fly tons of extra every month and refuse to display their calendars.

 

[derg]

Holy crap. Someone Iike that exists?! Yikes

Of course.

Hell, there are people that lose their cookies if I, as a DTW captain, picked up an out-of-base trip in LAX, purely within my contractual rights, because someone in LAX assumed it would be their premium overtime trip.

Or, my favorite, I got a pithy text from a senior FO that was upset that I swapped out of a trip he swapped in to, under the assumption that he’d be dropped for an oE student. So I always tell the senior FO’s, “Don’t bid with me, I swap with reckless abandon without regard to anyone except what I’m trying to do in my personal life at home”

 

[mikecweb]

Curiously, and somewhat related, what is making FedEx management believe their MDs will be returning to the line at some point, as oppoaed to UPS management who finally threw in the towel on them?

I don’t know. I don’t believe anything they say (and I’m not on any social media or work chats), so I’m not a good person to ask. Maybe @mikecweb knows.

Management is confident in their inspection program and maintenance capabilities to return it to service, the last blurb I saw is they want to fly it to 2032. The recommended fixes that apparently UPS neglected not to do, FedEx did.

That being said FedEx has pulled 66/300ish crews off the -11 in the past 6 months. They say it has nothing to do with the grounding.
Who knows?

 

[derg]

It’s legitimately wild.

There was a thread over on APC (I know, I know) where a guy was shaming reserve pilots assigned a rotation off short call who don’t contact CS to make sure any 23m7 farmers who may have been skipped get paid.

Things I ain’t doing for $1,000, Alex.

He worked that hard to get hired, but works that hard not to actually work in order to work hard to make sure he gets paid for not working.

Sounds fatiguing.

 

[AMH]

Having flown for one of FedEx’s feeders for almost 9 years, I seriously wonder how they stay staffed. I was in the purple runway program, as were many others. Many guys only stayed at MAC so they could get on with purple.

What a racket they’re running with that scam. Come fly 2 legs a night in an ATR so one day you can come fly 3 legs a night in something bigger.

 

[ClearedForOption]

We have those type here. They're the biggest whiners on our Facebook group and make the most noise, then they block their calendars and pick up draft, Advance Volunteer and fly tons of extra every month and refuse to display their calendars.

We have this problem at my shop. I firmly believe that no one at any shop should be able to "block" their calendar. Any pilot should be able to look at the schedule of any other pilot - because the company can do it. The union has access to it. Etc. Etc.

When did a line of flying suddenly become top secret info.