Furloughed Pilots Refusing Recall?

mpenguin1

mpenguin1

Well-Known Member
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=47c9f037-265b-4273-b49d-2f9590185add&

Furloughed Pilots Refusing Recall?
Mon, 17 Jul '06
Many Saying It Just Isn't Worth It

As the airlines slowly recover from those terrible days following 9/11... they're starting to recall flight crews. As many as 8,000 were furloughed as the economic disaster that befell this industry unfolded. But now that some of them are being asked to return to work... many are saying, in essence,

"Hell no, we won't go."
Pilots at Delta Air Lines report only one pilot has agreed to return for every three pilots asked back. Other airlines, such as American, US Airways and Northwest say that ratio is more like five-to-one.

Could this lead to a shortage of qualified flight crews? Wouldn't that be ironic...
 
how many times can you afford to be kicked in the teeth and then given the job back to be kicked in the teeth again? then you have to account for having that family that used to live a nice comfortable life now moving every six months scrapping pennies together. i agree with some of them it was a fun ride but when it ended you have to keep putting bread ont he table.
 
Oh they're short. They've tried to snag me for three inverse assignments over the last two days and i'm already flying an 83 hour month.

Some folks headed back to serve in Iraq, many took military leave, others went into other professions entirely. I think it's one thing to be single, 23 years old and on the bottom of a seniority list but it's entirely something else to be 40, a few kids, a mortgage and married.

Airlines are only reaping what they've sewn.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Oh they're short. They've tried to snag me for three inverse assignments over the last two days and i'm already flying an 83 hour month.

Some folks headed back to serve in Iraq, many took military leave, others went into other professions entirely. I think it's one thing to be single, 23 years old and on the bottom of a seniority list but it's entirely something else to be 40, a few kids, a mortgage and married.

Airlines are only reaping what they've sewn.
Click to expand...

Not answering "unavailable" or "out of area" calls eh...?

:)
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Not answering "unavailable" or "out of area" calls eh...?

:)
Click to expand...

Touch any phone in the house that rings and says "UNAVAILABLE" and you die.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Some folks headed back to serve in Iraq, many took military leave, others went into other professions entirely.
Click to expand...

As near as I can figure most who are bypassing recalls have found other flying jobs.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Touch any phone in the house that rings and says "UNAVAILABLE" and you die.
Click to expand...
That's something I don't miss. I can answer my phones now.

Now I can answer an "Unavailable" call now and read the riot act to the telephone solicitor!
 
On a similar note several regionals are having the problem that the furloughees they took on board with flowbacks/J4J programs are electing to bypass recall as they would rather sit in the left seat of a RJ then sit reserve at mainline. Fair? I think not, but unfortunatly (at least in some cases) there was never any protection written into the programs as it was assumed that everybody would rush back to their mainline job as soon as it was offered.
 
A friend of mine has a Falcon 50 they (his company) uses for business and both his pilots were with NWA and bypassed their recall to stay on fly with him.
 
mpenguin1 said:
Could this lead to a shortage of qualified flight crews? Wouldn't that be ironic...
Click to expand...

Oh I don't think so - we'll just start the traditional flow-up. Regional pilots will go to the mainline, freight will go to the regionals, CFI's will go to the freight. MAYBE we'll see a shortage of CFIs, but I really doubt that - because either old CFI mills will fire back up or new ones will. You can cram out a lot of CFIs at $60K a pop....... :-)

I haven't flown with a captain yet who doesn't have his/her paperwork in at the mainlines that are hiring, and if Delta, US Air, United etc. start hiring they'll have their paperwork in there. If you were making $175K at mainline and now they want you to go back and work harder for less money I can see how that's not attractive. If you're making $60K at a regional and a mainline wants you to work less for more money, well you can see how that might be attractive......

There's no pilot shortage, isn't one now, won't be one in any forseeable future. So if you were counting on THAT to get your pay up, give it up!
 
mpenguin1 said:
"Hell no, we won't go."
Pilots at Delta Air Lines report only one pilot has agreed to return for every three pilots asked back. Other airlines, such as American, US Airways and Northwest say that ratio is more like five-to-one.

Could this lead to a shortage of qualified flight crews? Wouldn't that be ironic...
Click to expand...


American and Northwest isnt even recalling, so how would they know what the ratio is??
 
Possibly a survery of furloughed members.

If asked, there's no way I'd go back right now. So here's one furloughee who's in the 'no thanks' category!
 
blee256 said:
so how would they know what the ratio is??
Click to expand...

Rumor (and you know what they say about rumors) has it that there's a 1:6 ratio of folks that accept recall and those that say, "Ehh... Not today".

I have three furloughed pilots on my sponsor list. One is back, one has been bypassing since 2004 and doing real estate investing and I think "lost the flying bug", and the other hasn't been recalled yet but I betchya he's probably going to elect not to come back for a while if at all.

I guess it's like getting kicked in the nads really hard by a spouse. Some will come back to give her a chance, others get trial separations, others just outright get divorced.
 
Doug Taylor said:
I guess it's like getting kicked in the nads really hard by a spouse. Some will come back to give her a chance, others get trial separations, others just outright get divorced.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there are SO many emotions involved in getting furloughed. The worst of which I think is 'disposability'. For me, getting furloughed the first time was hard enough. But, it was right after 9/11 and certainly I think we all knew times were suddenly very different. I knew I gave up all my occupational senority when I went over to AA, but it was still a pretty bitter pill when after over 6 years of service to AMR I found myself out on the street without so much as a 'thanks for your years of service'.

But when the second furlough happened, and that was just because of the company's 'restructuring' plan, that was it. I laughed in the face of my supervisor when he told me "you can go to Eagle, they're hiring" and I left NY (after having been displaced & marooned in LGA/JFK for the previous 6 months) and vowed I'd never go back.

Get tossed to the street like a bag of garbage once, that sucks. But when it happens twice in one year, that's just too much.

So I guess AMR and I had our 'trial separation' during my first furlough, I gave 'him' another chance with the recall, and divorce papers were filed with the second furlough :)
 
I still remember the email on the second furlough, that hit home. I think I even printed it and put it away in my desk drawer for a "industry dose of reality" when (if ever again?) I get too heady about the airline thing.

Hey! I rode my first FA jumpseat today. Holy cow you guys are busy! And I couldn't tell if we were taxiing, pushing back, nothing at all, all of a sudden the power goes up and Ican't see a darn thing! Can't even hear PA's back there.

I learned more in that 1 hr 20 minute flight than I've learned in years about cabin crew. Man. I couldn't do it!
 
The email about DL's second round of furloughs? Or did I send you an email when I got furloughed? I can't remember if I did or not, it's been awhile! Actually, it'll be 4 years this October. I really can't believe it's been that long.

So you got to ride alllllll the way in the back of the 80, eh? (But I'm a PILLLOOOOT, I wanna window seat!!!! Hahaha) I loved it back there. You're oblivious to everything. All you see is galley wall, and all you hear is engine noise. But you get to know what's happening by the sound of the engine. And when you've been taxiing a while, then stopped, then #2 shuts down, you know it's bad. Just be happy it was an 80 and not a ATR with the yaw dampener deferred. Now that was a RIDE on a windy day! There were times in the back of that thing I swear I was going to have whiplash by the time we were on the ground.

Glad you got to see the flight from a different perspective. Seems like pilots and F/As see each others job the most at the times the other group is at their least busy-ness. F/As see pilots during cruise when there's not a lot going on, it's a whole different world than when you're shooting an approach to minimuns at ORD! Pilots see F/As while deadheading, so they see the announcements and the beverage service, they don't see all the hullballo of stowing bags, galley setup and clean up, and everything else we do! I wish more F/As could see more of what you guys do, and I wish more pilots could see everything of what we do.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Touch any phone in the house that rings and says "UNAVAILABLE" and you die.
Click to expand...




Why is that a big deal? On your day off, say you do pick up the phone and say "Hello?"


And they say back, " First Officer Taylor?"


Then just be like, " He's not here right now, can I take a message?"

Or, " He went out with some friends to a bar, can I take a message? " [assuming day off to begin with].


Can't you screw around with crew sked, just like they like to screw with your sked?
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Why is that a big deal? On your day off, say you do pick up the phone and say "Hello?"


And they say back, " First Officer Taylor?"


Then just be like, " He's not here right now, can I take a message?"

Or, " He went out with some friends to a bar, can I take a message? " [assuming day off to begin with].


Can't you screw around with crew sked, just like they like to screw with your sked?
Click to expand...

You REALLY don't have any idea how it works.
 
Seggy said:
You REALLY don't have any idea how it works.
Click to expand...


Nope!


I just thought that on your day off, if they're calling you, it's probably to junior mann you to some flight. And that if you don't pick up the phone, then you're "safe." But if you do pick up the phone, can't you play the above as described?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top