Its hiding in plain sight lads and m'lads......
"The CI is the ratio of the time-related cost of an airplane operation and the cost of fuel. The value of the CI reflects the relative effects of fuel cost on overall trip cost as compared to time-related direct operating costs.
In equation form: CI =Time cost ~ $/hrFuel cost ~ cents/lb
The flight crew enters the company-calculated CI into the control display unit (CDU) of the FMC. The FMC then uses this number and other performance parameters to calculate economy (ECON) climb, cruise, and descent speeds.
For all models, entering zero for the CI results in maximum range airspeed and minimum trip fuel. This speed schedule ignores the cost of time.
Conversely, if the maximum value for CI is entered, the FMC uses a minimum time speed schedule. This speed schedule calls for maximum flight envelope speeds, and ignores the cost of fuel"
Fuel is cheap as chips, so they finally have figured out that they can get a pile more productivity from us by reducing actual block time. How many more nautical miles can they get out of us lazy pilots and the Cabin Crew per month now?...........more fatigue and acceptable low levels of alertness....but it's legal right????..................
Maybe they are getting short of crew, and need to squeeze us all more.....who frigging knows. (Anyone still recall how we all happily took the productivity threshold increase to 92 hours in the starfish without so much as a whimper?).
At the end of the day, no matter WTF is going on, we can all be warm and fuzzy, as there is no doubt, that it will only benefit them. Whether its a crew shortfall due to the appalling treatment of us all, or 0.003 fils that can be made per flight......WE WILL PAY FOR IT.
Just do as you are told and stick your head back in the sand, and convince yourselves that although our terms have diminished an unbelievable amount in the last 10 years, we are still doing okay and seeing as we'll all be dead at 55 anyway, it's also okay that we cant save money anymore or invest in our, or our children's futures.
Remember.......A good Pilot knows that he should just SuckItUp..........
