Based on things read here and elsewhere. The cancelled flights may not be due to an actual sick out or other protest. It could be worse than that (for airlines). People see the writing on the wall, they are burning any PTO/sick time that wouldn't be paid out upon termination. They don't want to lose a benefit they've worked hard for and need time to find new employment.

We might be facing a major blow to ATCs, pilots, stewardess, and support staff. If you're planning on flying in the fourth quarter, be prepared for further delays.

Pete Buttigieg Absent as Flight Delays Snarl Columbus Day Weekend Travel

https://www.breitbart.com/poli...-day-weekend-travel/



Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was absent Monday as a surge of flight delays snarled travel in the South over the Columbus Day weekend.

Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights over the three-day federal holiday weekend, citing limited staffing and bad weather.

The Department of Transportation did not reply to a request for comment from Breitbart News on Monday about Buttigieg’s response to the crisis or about where he spent the weekend.

But Buttigieg’s Twitter account shared a message promoting Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a leftist alternative proposal to the celebration of Columbus Day.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the delays on Friday were a result of severe weather, military training and limited staffing in a Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center but did not share any details about the interrupted flights over the rest of the weekend.

The delays occurred two days after the Southwest Airlines pilots’ union asked a federal judge to block the company’s vaccine mandate, prompting speculation about a possible “sick out” protest of employees reacting to the draconian measure.

A Southwest Airlines spokeswoman denied any evidence of a coordinated staff protest.

“It’s inaccurate,” a spokeswoman told CNBC. “There’s a lot of unfounded rumor and speculation circulating.”

Buttigieg remained silent through Monday, despite the crisis.

The Secretary of Transportation was last seen on Friday in an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

Buttigieg spoke about the ongoing struggles to deal with the clogged ship ports as well as being a new parent of twins.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly… it’s the most demanding thing I think I’ve ever done,” he said about becoming a parent.

Was there ever a case, ONE case, of a pilot being incapacitated in the air due to prostate cancer?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No more flying by the seat of your pants.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigfan Roy:
Great post and more reasons why its different for a pilot than it is for almost any other profession in terms of having to subject themselves to that government process every 6 months. Lots to lose every time you go in there to see that AME and fill out the form.

We all have the same rights. Doesn’t matter your job, religion, gender or skin color.

And where in the world did I suggest otherwise?

We've gotten sidetracked from the original point of the thread. I was simply trying to explain the medical exam requirements are fairly unique for part 121 airline pilots, which I am.

I support the SWA pilots and am not in favor of any vaccine mandates for anybody.

I don't think my company will mandate the vaccine due to the lack of ramp workers that it will cause for my company as explained by Furlough on page 6 of this thread. So I am not forced at this point to have to choose and I hope that it doesn't get to that point.

I wonder what the ramifications of Gov. Abbott's Executive order banning vaccine mandates are for Southwest, headquartered in Dallas?

Governor Abbott Issues Executive Order Prohibiting Vaccine Mandates By Any Entity

….and amid all the protest and whining, John Galt smiles as he enters the room and takes a seat at the bar to watch the ensuing chaos….

I reached out to a friend who is a commercial pilot, but not for Southwest. He had already reached out to a friend of his who is a pilot at Southwest. Here is his explanation:

quote:

After the mandate was announced we all banded together and stopped picking up open time, that's what's up, everything else is smoke and mirrors.

quote:

Originally posted by wxdave:
I wonder what the ramifications of Gov. Abbott's Executive order banning vaccine mandates are for Southwest, headquartered in Dallas?

I would imagine very few ramifications, as any Part 121 air carrier will be regulated by FEDERAL law...FAA, DOT, and Railway Labor Act. But that doesn't necessarily HURT our case!! Kudos to Gov. Abbott!! [slow clap]

quote:

Originally posted by HuskySig:
I reached out to a friend who is a commercial pilot, but not for Southwest. He had already reached out to a friend of his who is a pilot at Southwest. Here is his explanation:

quote:

After the mandate was announced we all banded together and stopped picking up open time, that's what's up, everything else is smoke and mirrors.

For those among us not familiar with the term "Open Time", I'll explain it.

At the beginning of the work period/month, typically ALL known flying (trips) is assigned to pilots during our pre-defined bidding cycle...usually 1 month ahead of time. For example, at my airline, bidding closes tomorrow for our November schedule. Trips can be 1-4 days in length.

As flying takes place day-to-day during the month, trips may have to be dropped from a pilot's schedule for a variety of reasons because they call in sick, take personal leave, get injured on or off the job, transition to training, etc., etc. These trips go back into the system and are available for pickup by other pilots; we call that "Open Time". Pilots pick up these trips on their day(s) off for extra $$$. Open Time trips not picked up by other pilots are assigned to and flown by a Reserve pilot.

The pilots that pick up this open time flying are actually doing the company a favor, because otherwise those trips would have to be assigned to the Reserve pilots, and there's only a finite number of Reserve pilots available on any given day. What the SWA pilots are doing is NOT illegal...they feel compelled that they've had enough and desire to stop playing nice and doing the Company a favor. Not a damned thing wrong with that and is NOT considered an illegal job action. It usually sends a pretty good message to management that they've screwed the cat.

I've been hearing some stories that the SWA pilot group has been pretty beaten up by management over the past 4-6 months with contract violations, rolled days off (assigned to fly after your normal trip is finished into a schedule day off), lots of trip modifications (which can be VERY tiring), and other issues. There comes a point when pilots say, "I've had it. I've had enough." At that point, it requires a decent amount of down time to physically and mentally recuperate.

BTDT...gave the t-shirt back.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:
CPD SIG - I believe a1abdj was being sarcastic and you and he are on the same page.

Sometimes our sarcasm meters need calibration.

Yeah, having read one or two of Frank’s (a1abdj’s) posts, there was no way I could take the referenced post as anything but sarcasm.

Yeah, in retrospect, alabjd does have a pretty sarcastic sence of humor...
I forget a lot of that.

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:
I work for an aerospace defense contractor, a big one. I've been 100% remote (work from home) since 2015. I received the dreaded email today. I must complete the final vaccine dose by Nov 24, or I'll lose my job. It looks like a second Pfizer shot is needed 21 days after the first, and 28 days for Moderna. Looking at the calendar, I'll have to choose a shot in the next 2 weeks so I can get the second one in time.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I just don't think it's needed based on my age and other factors. No one in my family has had Covid, immediate or extended, so we don't have natural immunity, although I don't think that matters for the purposes of the "Executive Order".

I've been on the fence about getting it, but the choice has been mine.

I guess I could let them fire me, but I am not so sure that is the best choice given my age (48), and I have a family I need to support (wife and 2 young boys).

What really pisses me off is I work from home. There's no chance I'll infect anyone I work with, contractors, etc...

My body, my choice, right?

So much for Freewill.

It's a fucked up situation you're in.
What about a "Religious Exemption"?

Just spoke to my Delta pilot buddy and his Southwest pilot wife. They told me it wasn't a protest per-se, rather a hard use of PTO, and guys not picking up open time as ERJ mentioned.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigfan Roy:
Great post and more reasons why its different for a pilot than it is for almost any other profession in terms of having to subject themselves to that government process every 6 months. Lots to lose every time you go in there to see that AME and fill out the form.

We all have the same rights. Doesn’t matter your job, religion, gender or skin color.

Tell that to military personnel and cops……

As I read another press blurb from SWA this morning reiterating that their issues over the weekend (and continuing into yesterday) were the result of weather and ATC issues, having nothing to do with their pilots, I'm reminded of a time that I was stuck in MIA (or maybe it was FLL), and my flight back home was delayed, and delayed, and delayed.

Many of my fellow passengers were upset, as they were missing their cancellations and scrambling to make other arrangements.

What we were all told (and only when we demanded answers of the gate agents) was that the delays were due to weather. I was looking at the national weather map and saw nothing on a relatively clear afternoon, so I called SWA's customer service number, where they were only too happy to look up the flight number in question and confirm for me that our flight was delayed due to mechanical difficulties and that our plane would depart as soon as repairs could be made, but we were waiting for a part. At least that's what it looked like on their end. I asked about weather delays and was advised that there were no weather delays in their system currently.

Nearly started a riot when I shared that information with several of the more inconvenienced passengers, who called to confirm what I had just told them.

The gate agents didn't look happy.

That incident was about a month after I was delayed on a SWA flight because they didn't have a flight crew. 20 minutes after scheduled departure, the flight crew was literally standing at the gate, waiting for the minute they were allowed to swipe in without violating whatever FAA rule was keeping them from working more than X hours in a day. They weren't any happier than we were, but it wasn't their fault.

I have no difficulty at all believing that SWA is completely full of shit when it comes to blaming weather for their own logistics issues.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

I have no difficulty at all believing that SWA is completely full of shit when it comes to blaming weather for their own logistics issues.

It's hard to blame the elements when everyone else is making departures on time and having minimal delays.

Airlines which fail to staff adequately and have to put flying out as open time often have little difficulty getting crew to pick it up. It may be worth overtime, or banking days off, or taking in trade. When a company asks crew to pick up open trips that haven't been covered or scheduled, then they can either wait for volunteers, or in the end, "junior man" the trips by assigning it to those who haven't volunteered, starting with the most junior guy and working up the pole.

I got an email today, requiring a response, to include a copy of my vaccination record. It had a caveat for those seeking an exemption, either on religious grounds or medical (as there are those who can't take the vaccine). No specifics were cited as how one might determine a genuine, valid religious objection, but I imagine it's something they'll consider on a case by case basis. Medical exemptions should be more cut and dried, with some documentation or a doctor's letter.

The scheduling department is every operator's nemisis. I worked for an operation some years ago in which the head scheduler liked to brag that she had two dozen ways to screw a crewmember over. She did, too. I don't know what SWA's internal situation is with junior manning, but it appears the coordination to reject open time was well organized, and effective.

It will be interesting to see the result.

So how much of this "open time" comes up in a typical month? It seems like there must have been a LOT of it, all of a sudden, for it to have messed up schedules as much as it has. Regardless, kudos to the crews for standing up to Big Brother.

quote:

I've been on the fence about getting it, but the choice has been mine.

I guess I could let them fire me, but I am not so sure that is the best choice given my age (48), and I have a family I need to support (wife and 2 young boys).

What really pisses me off is I work from home. There's no chance I'll infect anyone I work with, contractors, etc...

My body, my choice, right?

So much for Freewill.

What's happening is evil.
It must be stood up to.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”
-Edmund Burke

Actually, Burke may not have actually said that exact phrase but he did say something resembling the quote in his “Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents” (1770). I like this better anyway:
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”

Rumble — BREAKING! Multiple sources have reported a Vaxxed Delta Airlines pilot died IN-FLIGHT, shortly after receiving a second dose of the "Covid vaccine".