In this part of our series “Know your CWA” we would like to expand on “Crew Positioning Travel” and more specifically on Art. B1-38.3.1.
B1-38.3 Crew Positioning Travel
B1-38.3.1 All crew commercial positioning flights, shall be booked “Business Class“ except on Luxair intra-European point-to-point flights or unless agreed differently between the company and the pilot representatives for specific routes. Should business class seats not be available, the next lower available class with maximum comfort options, when available, shall be booked only in order to avoid operational disruption.
All positioning flights on other airlines, except those operated by Luxair, shall be booked in “Business Class“. This means that it is the obligation of the company to provide “Business Class“ tickets if you are required to travel on behest of the company.
The article allows only for the following two exceptions:
- “Unless agreed differently between the Company and the Pilot Representatives for specific routes.”
Presently the Pilot Representatives accept that only on routes operated by Luxair under LG flight numbers between Luxembourg (LUX) and any airport served by Luxair directly and vice versa that crew positioning travel may be booked in Economy Class. On all other routes it is the obligation of the company to book all positioning travel in “Business Class“.
Art. 5.3 of the CWA defines the Pilot Representatives. These comprise of your ALPL Cargolux Divisional Board, whose members mostly also are Delegates in the Cargolux Delegation.
- “Should business class seats not be available, the next lower available class with maximum comfort options, when available, shall be booked only in order to avoid operational disruption.”
As long as one airline provides “Business Class“ on a route a pilot should position on, the pilot is entitled to position in “Business Class“. Only if no “Business Class“ seats are available at all, the company can book a lower class to avoid an operational delay of the next flight a crew members is scheduled to operate.
Tip: In this regards it is always a good idea to also check the flights on the internet and where applicable take a screen shot and advise Crew Control of the “Business Class” seats available.
Example:
A pilot is scheduled to position from A to B. This route is served by several airlines, of which at least one offers “Business Class“. The pilot is entitled to and can insist that his positioning is in “Business Class“ and that his travel arrangements are changed accordingly, by e.g. booking him on a different flight or a different airline.
Please follow this link to download your copy of the CWA for your perusal on the company provided iPad or any other computer for future reference.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at cvboard@alpl.lu for clarification.
All parts of this series can be found here in the Publications section under Cargolux Board.
