Captain

They're definitely still figuring it out. In PDX I bid the 9am zone basically Monday-Thursday for May because people don't call out much during the week. They weren't converting people hardly at all at the beginnings of the week so I was typically the only one sitting there legal for an assignment for like an 8 hour period. I ended up flying around 50 hours in May which is more than I had flown in the previous 6 months. They're getting better about conversions but I stayed long call for June. We're at roughly 15% reserve staffing system-wide, which is about half of what we had before May. They gave everyone low credit lines so they wouldn't have to pay as many reserves to sit around and do nothing. We're definitely fat on pilots but now running thin on reserves (actually closer to where they'd like to be) so if guys are dicking around with sick calls it's going to create more of an issue than it has been for the last 8 months or so.
 
Skåning said:
Ah damn I got a line for July. Oops. Now I’m gonna have to actually work. I think the shift is finally happening where reserve goes senior.
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Yeah it’s interesting that more senior people are creeping in for the summer. It’s usually the opposite. I’ve been bidding down to reserve for about 8 months, though the flying I can hold is nothing to write home about.
 
Skåning said:
Ah damn I got a line for July. Oops. Now I’m gonna have to actually work. I think the shift is finally happening where reserve goes senior.
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A bunch of people are going to FAFO. I'm starting to get notified 6-12 hours in advance for short call assignments. Similar to last summer. When I was on 0230AM reserve I would get notified around 6PM the day prior of the next days assignment. So far on my 6 day block I've only had one day where I was not called, diligently selecting do not want assignments every day.
 
Skåning said:
Its because you’re based in The Deathstar. Down in PDX they’ve forgotten about us. 120 hours the last 6 months.
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Well. Lucky you I guess. 90% of my trips start with a DH to PDX. It would be cool of C.S. could *gestures wildly* use the reserves in PDX.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
Well. Lucky you I guess. 90% of my trips start with a DH to PDX. It would be cool of C.S. could *gestures wildly* use the reserves in PDX.
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Huh weird. I’ve done very little DHing to SEA, I thought there’d be way more. But I just think they’re so SEA centric they don’t utilize reserves as effectively as they could. (Obviously).

It’s hard to imagine it’ll last, it was a lot of economic and Boeing issues that led to less flying.

Also, of all the conversions from long call to short call, I’ve only been called once.
 
Skåning said:
Its because you’re based in The Deathstar. Down in PDX they’ve forgotten about us. 120 hours the last 6 months.
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Being at a forgotten base is fantastic. Our ASA IAD base was the best. Everyone knew each other, d-bags were usually called out and sent back to Atlanta, and it was so much more relaxed.

I remember calling to let scheduling know I was going to be late because it was raining and I was stuck in traffic. “Oh, great! We need the rain!” I was in DC, she was in Atlanta.
 
Skåning said:
Huh weird. I’ve done very little DHing to SEA, I thought there’d be way more. But I just think they’re so SEA centric they don’t utilize reserves as effectively as they could. (Obviously).

It’s hard to imagine it’ll last, it was a lot of economic and Boeing issues that led to less flying.

Also, of all the conversions from long call to short call, I’ve only been called once.
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Its mildly annoying to hear PDX based pilots brag about how little they have been flying when I'm on the 6AM shuttle to PDX to start a trip 4-6 times a month.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
Its mildly annoying to hear PDX based pilots brag about how little they have been flying when I'm on the 6AM shuttle to PDX to start a trip 4-6 times a month.
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I think it’s really just a matter of volume and some luck. There’s only like 30 reserves in each seat in PDX so daily coverage isn’t phenomenal. I flew 50 hours in May while the majority didn’t get used nearly as much. The days I did get used I was usually the only one legal for the trip.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
Its mildly annoying to hear PDX based pilots brag about how little they have been flying when I'm on the 6AM shuttle to PDX to start a trip 4-6 times a month.
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I wasn’t meaning to brag, just a YMMV experience. It’s all been luck, not because of anything I’ve done.
 
Skåning said:
I wasn’t meaning to brag, just a YMMV experience. It’s all been luck, not because of anything I’ve done.
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Well of course it’s not you. It’s the operation. Which is mildly annoying.

My buddy who is also is a SEA JR Captain but lives in PDX was getting assigned to sims on long call. And I was getting assigned 8AM PDX trips. That started with the DH on the first AM SEA-PDX. I live less than 30 minutes from the sim center and my buddy less than 30 from PDX. We’d pass each other on opposite first flight of the day to PDX or SEA. I wish there was a way to correct this but there isn’t. It’s also mildly annoying but no one individual’s fault.
 
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