August '12 Bid Summary

Greetings,

Welcome to the end of Summer. Yeah, already. Well, at least August ends the summer break that most people associate with Summer. So, are you ready for August? No? Me either, but it is time to bid for August so here we go.

July was a tricky month to bid for. There was lots of flying (correction to my July post, July did have more flying than June in COS) and we had a holiday to put up with. August becomes easier to bid for mainly that reason. On the other hand, August may be more difficult. As you know, part-time lines are suspended for August. I have four or five flight attendants senior to me that are part time, so I will certainly be effected. I'm not too happy about that... and neither are the part timers, obviously. My seniority will be effected by the suspension of part time lines. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but I had better be cautious about it. There isn't any sense in bidding like I did last month, the month before, or any other way I have bid before. Sure, I'll keep the same style of bidding but that's about it.



Last month, I goofed. I goofed up my bid big time. Go ahead and read that post if you want, but to put it simply: I won't use a cadence preference for August (insert cheesy soundtrack laugh). Also, it has occurred to me that I need to be less picky in August since part time lines are suspended. KISS, right? Keep It Simple, Stupid! I have to keep that motto in mind.

What am I doing different, you might ask? Well, I'm counting on the fact that the majority of flight attendants want weekends off. Heck, if I could hold good trips I'd make sure I had weekends off. My seniority would allow for most weekends off, but the trips wouldn't be good. I am just too junior to hold weekday trips that pay well. So, in August I am intentionally bidding for high credit weekend trips. That is a decision that I made with my wife too. Our little dude has a babysitter who will be a senior in high school come August, we'll be paying more for daycare as a result. It only makes since for daddy to be home more weekdays in order to save money. It stinks not having a full day off with my wife, though. That is one thing that may drive me insane.

Other than flying weekend trips I am also not trying to hold any particular days off. That sure helps since I will be able to select all available high credit weekend trips and not worry about a particular day off.

Update 7/20/12

Here is how my bid shaped up:

I am really happy with my bid. I'm working weekends, but I've got weekend days off too! I have every Sunday is off with one exception and that exception shows late in the afternoon. This sure beats July. Sure, I'll need to pick up some more flying, but hopefully I can pick up more junior man trips. I guess we'll see!

While, I want to keep this blog strictly associated with bidding, I need you to know that COS is a wonderful and professional domicile for SkyWest. You probably know the tragic news already. While I don't know exactly how to respond to it, I'm deeply saddened as we all are in COS. If you hear any outrageous rumors, I personally advise you shun them and, with the company's wishes and ongoing investigation, not comment further. I despise lies and rumors, especially in the wake of such shockingly tragic events.

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