The SWAPA Ride Report: Training Elections & Side Letter One

This week, Casey Casteel from SWAPA Communications discusses upcoming implementation items like the training elections form that will go live soon as well as several items that were clarified or added in Side Letter One to the CBA, including open time pay multiples, open time alert timelines, and document-based training.

If you’ve ever had a question on how day rooms and Ground Time Override interplay, you’ll want to listen for Casey’s detailed discussion for an explanation on how that issue differs from a delayed reporting situation.

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Transcript

This is the SWAPA Ride Report for Friday, May 24th, 2024.  

The SWAPA Ride Report is your source for headlines, updates, and answers to frequently asked questions regarding your new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  

I’m your host for today, Casey Casteel from SWAPA Communications.  

 
Let’s start with a new implementation item that goes into effect in June.  For those of you whose training base month is August or later, starting on June 15th you can access a training election form via Comply 365 on your company EFB. This will allow you to volunteer to attend training one month earlier than your base month or to request a hotel room the night before or after training, among other things.  Remember the massive number of training move-ups that occurred last summer?  This updated preference-based system will require the company to move up volunteers before they move up non-volunteers to early training months.  The contract reference here is Section 15.Echo.  But, keep in mind that section 2.Oscar.1.echo allows the company to move a pilot’s base month up just once with no pay.  Any subsequent move ups would pay 3.75 TFP and a personal net zero.     The new training elections interface will also provide a means to put in requests for training deadheads, requesting an overnight and hotel if choosing to travel in the day prior to start a training sequence, submitting training trades with another Pilot, and electing trading over vacation. 

 While most of the items were grammatical corrections and some added or changed language to improve clarity of intent, here are some items that were added to the contract in Side Letter one: 

 First, open time pay multiples were modified to allow the company to offer any pairing, reserve block or training support event in open time at Premium, double or even triple time.  Originally, that was only allowed in monthly open time, but the Board agreed to adopt the changed language to allow any open time to be offered at the increased pay multiple.  That updated language is found in Section 11.Alpha.13.  The Company is still in the process of outlining the various technical requirements that will enable the ability to run open time closes at double and triple time pay multiples so we’ll keep the membership updated on when those capabilities have been fully programmed. 

 Next, a timeline was added to ensure all Open Time Alerts for Daily Open Time and Hourly Open Time will be sent no later than twenty minutes prior to the bid close.  SNOT, or short notice open time, Last Resort Flying and Voluntary Double Time alerts will be sent no later than ten minutes prior to the bid close.  If these alerts are not sent in time, the pairing will be removed from the bid and offered in the next available open time process.  Scheduling leadership is still training Crew Schedulers on these expectations and should be fully compliant by June 1st. 

 Also on the docket to be implemented by June 1st,  is some added clarity to language that sets better expectations when you contact Scheduling. Specifically, if you call scheduling to adjust deadheads at the beginning of a pairing, or to adjust deadheads that return you to domicile at the end of the pairing, any adjustments made will not trigger Leg Change Override.  And to be clear, adjustments at the end of a pairing will be provided to a line holder, no questions asked, but changes must be mutually agreed to if you’re on a reserve assignment or if you’re requesting a different deadhead at the beginning of a pairing. 

 What is document based training?  I’m glad you asked: document based training now pays you for any training that exceeds ten minutes to complete.  This type of training can include Read Before Fly written materials or videos.  You will sign off document based training in Comply just like you already do for Read Before Fly messages. Document based training events are paid the same as E-learning events.   

 For more on that, read section 15.Whiskey 

 
Let’s close with a common question regarding hotel rooms and Ground time override. 

 If I have a projected sit of four hours or more and request a hotel room, do I lose my Ground Time Override? 

So, that answer is no but it is being confused with delayed reporting on the first leg while you are already at a hotel.  Let’s break it down: if you are in between two flights and have a projected delay of four hours or more, you are entitled to both a day room and Ground Time Override.  That’s in Section 16.Bravo.1.echo.  And one last note on day rooms going into the uptick of the summer schedule – and likely a delay or two - you can opt to self-source a day room for reimbursement if you’re kept waiting more than 30 minutes from your initial request – just be sure to notify scheduling so they can advise the ChaT team accordingly. 

 The other case is if you are in your hotel on an overnight and your first flight of the day is delayed more than sixty minutes.  If you elect to stay at the hotel and delay your report in accordance with section 12.Alpha.2.charlie, you will in that case not be eligible for Ground Time Override.  However, your original report time will still serve as the basis for Duty Hour Rig and duty time calculations. This situation was clarified in the recently agreed to Side Letter 1.  Clear as mud?  As always, if you are unsure, please refer to the annotated contract and then call contract admin to clarify if you still have questions.  

And finally, before anyone else asks again, you still have to wait to board with the preboard group when deadheading.  Boarding with the crew is still not scheduled to be implemented until the end of June.  In the meantime, enjoy the air conditioning in the terminal unless the ops agent invites you down early. 

 That wraps up the big news and Q&A this week. As always, if there’s something you want to hear more about on the show, please drop us an email at comm@swapa.org.  

And thanks again for joining this week’s ride report. The next episode will drop on June 7th, and if you missed anything, this transcript will be on the Podcast Page under the Communications tab on the SWAPA website.  

Fly safe, fly informed.