Morbid curiosity. Upgrade times?

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Good god. Fix that! I bid reserve as a senior FO at the Tran because I could sit at home for 60+ days without flying. It was exquisite.

Fix it so people are paid to stay home for 2 months? If someone sat home that long and not used, the reserve ratio was wrong for that month. Too fat. Now if you’re saying have a contractual requirement that required an ungodly amount of reserve, then I can see it. But downside, more people forced on to reserve.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

Again. If you’re 45 and working at a career carrier and staying in crashpads, you’re doing it wrong. The Marriott exists for a reason.

There was a topped out AA narrowbody CA at my last crashpad in NYC. Total dump. Dude is pushing $300/hr.

 

[L-16B]

Good god. Fix that! I bid reserve as a senior FO at the Tran because I could sit at home for 60+ days without flying. It was exquisite.

Trust me I’m at 11% as a 320 FO. waiting to bid widebody reserve I’m with your thinking

 

[L-16B]

There was a topped out AA narrowbody CA at my last crashpad in NYC. Total dump. Dude is pushing $300/hr.

Imax guys would laugh at that payrate.

 

[Avalon781ML]

SW was the belle from 2002 to 2012.

And I reckon at some point in the future it will be the belle again…

 

[Avalon781ML]

I had great crashpads where I looked forward to hanging out with the other people, and horrible crashpads that I avoided like the plague. But hotels are the best. And if you're making legacy bucks or even regional CA money, there's really no reason to be in a crashpad unless you're a cheap f***.

The guys in my current pad are all awesome… it’s not at all miserable to sit a week of reserve and not get called. Then again sitting reserve just flat out sucks.

 

[Skåning]

Reserve life can be amazing. Getting paid a lot of money to fly a couple of days a month, or hopefully none at all, is hard to beat.

Yeah nobody has mentioned how airline specific reserve is - totally dependent on work rules. At good companies rsv goes senior, at shiite ones it is way junior. Unfortunately at my place it goes so junior that nobody bids it voluntarily.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Fix it so people are paid to stay home for 2 months? If someone sat home that long and not used, the reserve ratio was wrong for that month. Too fat. Now if you’re saying have a contractual requirement that required an ungodly amount of reserve, then I can see it. But downside, more people forced on to reserve.

Reserves should be for the unexpected, and assignments should go in reverse seniority order. If you’re a senior reserve pilot, you shouldn’t be getting used unless the airline is having a schedule meltdown. Airlines that use reserves constantly are poorly managed.

 

[tcco94]

My crash pad experience is mixed and I'm a young guy. Had a UA Captain who got a crash pad just to sit in ORD to pick up open time, had to tell him it's not really ideal for all of us to hear your phone ring every 30 mins throughout the night. So he agreed and slept on the couch. Legacy captain who needed to work 20+ days a month, never seen anything like that.

Then on the other side having a really goober regional kid telling you he's going to flow and be a LCA at AA in 5 years (no joke either here, kid was a 1 year FO at airline you can expect) and was about to write a book on his career path. Just a bunch of weirdos I have nothing in common with. But then when you lose hope you'll get someone cool and it makes you wonder if it's just you being an • or if there are some cool people in your pad.

It's just when people latch onto you in a crash pad like your best friend is not my ideal situation for sitting in a crash pad. I also see no point in commuting to sit in a pad by choice over trying to work on reserve, but that's just me I guess. I'd rather be in a hotel room than a crash pad.

 

[BobDDuck]

Reserves should be for the unexpected, and assignments should go in reverse seniority order. If you’re a senior reserve pilot, you shouldn’t be getting used unless the airline is having a schedule meltdown.

That's not how pretty much any airline has used reserves (other than maybe widebody categories) since at least 2012. They are part of the assumed staffing to between 40 and 70 hours each month.

 

[Crockrocket94]

Reserves should be for the unexpected, and assignments should go in reverse seniority order. If you’re a senior reserve pilot, you shouldn’t be getting used unless the airline is having a schedule meltdown. Airlines that use reserves constantly are poorly managed.

Depends on staffing levels as well. Pilot ratio etc. Airlines that run leaner levels are gonna use reserves when sick calls, fatigue, whatever happens. Also airlines that run a vibrant open time system. Lots of factors, not just "poorly run"...

 

[Avalon781ML]

Reserves should be for the unexpected, and assignments should go in reverse seniority order. If you’re a senior reserve pilot, you shouldn’t be getting used unless the airline is having a schedule meltdown. Airlines that use reserves constantly are poorly managed.

Definitely not how FDX is staffing right now… last time I was on reserve I was utilized and I extended to the allowable limit every single time. Flights have cancelled for no pilots… or been delayed for days.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

That's not how pretty much any airline has used reserves (other than maybe widebody categories) since at least 2012. They are part of the assumed staffing to between 40 and 70 hours each month.

Like I said, poor management. We were a "low cost" airline and still managing to staff this way all the way up until the end. Part of it is also a willingness of the MEC and NC to put negotiating capital into this. It certainly wasn't that rosy before we did.

Depends on staffing levels as well. Pilot ratio etc. Airlines that run leaner levels are gonna use reserves when sick calls, fatigue, whatever happens. Also airlines that run a vibrant open time system. Lots of factors, not just "poorly run"...

Yeah, that's my definition of poorly run. The vast majority of sick calls, fatigues, etc. should be picked up as open time when properly staffed and incentivized. Reserves shouldn't be for expected sick call levels.

 

[roundout]

Again. If you’re 45 and working at a career carrier and staying in crashpads, you’re doing it wrong. The Marriott exists for a reason.

Thanks for spending my money for me, Captain!

 

[roundout]

Then on the other side having a really goober regional kid telling you he's going to flow and be a LCA at AA in 5 years (no joke either here, kid was a 1 year FO at airline you can expect) and was about to write a book on his career path.

JFC.

This one?

 

[Crockrocket94]

Like I said, poor management. We were a "low cost" airline and still managing to staff this way all the way up until the end. Part of it is also a willingness of the MEC and NC to put negotiating capital into this. It certainly wasn't that rosy before we did.



Yeah, that's my definition of poorly run. The vast majority of sick calls, fatigues, etc. should be picked up as open time when properly staffed and incentivized. Reserves shouldn't be for expected sick call levels.

Having a robust open time system is what a lot of pilots love. Back when reserves weren't utilized and there was no open time, the company was paying tons of guys to sit at home for weeks at end on reserve and never get used. How the hell is that efficient?

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Having a robust open time system is what a lot of pilots love. Back when reserves weren't utilized and there was no open time, the company was paying tons of guys to sit at home for weeks at end on reserve and never get used. How the hell is that efficient?

"Efficient" is making sure that there are never cancellations or delays. It's not "making sure that every pilot never has any free time on their work days." We've lost sight of that over the years. And SWAPA is chief among the offenders at leading the way on that garbage.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

I got awarded my home base in December. I can't wait to sit around in my underwear waiting to get called at home, 20 minutes from the airport. I'll be the plug, but I don't care. I'm never going to preference to fly.

My dream has always been to be last out on reserve.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Reserves should be for the unexpected, and assignments should go in reverse seniority order. If you’re a senior reserve pilot, you shouldn’t be getting used unless the airline is having a schedule meltdown. Airlines that use reserves constantly are poorly managed.

So unless the contract is written that way. On the day of, our airline doesn’t look at seniority. It looks at day availability (eg, matching 4 days available to a 4 day trip) and the guy with the lowest credit. That’s who get the trip. Why keep pounding the junior guys with trips getting them to 75 hrs while leaving some senior fart at 0? Doesn’t make financial sense. They use them out somewhat evenly.

 

[Crockrocket94]

I got awarded my home base in December. I can't wait to sit around in my underwear waiting to get called at home, 20 minutes from the airport. I'll be the plug, but I don't care. I'm never going to preference to fly.

My dream has always been to be last out on reserve.

Don't forget to shave the face...

Also I knew you were always a dreamer.