BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
You guys don't have biddable RO/FO positions?
Non-Rev Travel Check In Question
- Thread starter bc2209
- Start date
You guys don't have biddable RO/FO positions?
Nope!
On a three-man crew you'd literally arrive to the briefing room and the captain generally says, "I'll fly it over, which one of you guys wants to fly it back?" then there was a coin toss or "man, I need a landing", etc.
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Huh... So chain of command is by seniority of the FOs?
We have biddable RO/FO positions, with the RO being second in command for the flight and getting a slightly higher "international" override. I kind of assumed everybody did it that way. The squishy spot is when there are two captains and two FOs assigned to a trip.
Dude, if we're down to 'chain of command', someone's screamed "AMISTAD" and all sorts of crazy crap is going down. But a fully paid captain, two fully paid FO's. The captain is the captain and may be pilot monitoring or pilot flying, the pilot flying is always pilot flying, and the relief pilot replaces whoever is on break and their role. You only revert to 'chain of command' in really rotten scenarios. But the captains are captains, the FOs are FO's, pilot monitorings are pilot monnitorings, flying pilots are flying pilots and relief pilots do whatever the person on break was doing.
Confused yet?
Nah, actually we're all a little different. Some airlines have cruise pilots which is a whole 'nother set of sillyness.
We had some issues with four-man flying on the ER when we started doing 12-plus. So the company put it's foot down and says that the "captain of record" is the captain regardless of seniority. Otherwise, it'd be like driving with a backseat driving wife: "You're doing it wrong", "Shut up, you want to fly?" "No, but you're doing it wrong!"
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Dude, if we're down to 'chain of command', someone's screamed "AMISTAD" and all sorts of crazy crap is going down. But a fully paid captain, two fully paid FO's. The captain is the captain and may be pilot monitoring or pilot flying, the pilot flying is always pilot flying, and the relief pilot replaces whoever is on break and their role. You only revert to 'chain of command' in really rotten scenarios. But the captains are captains, the FOs are FO's, pilot monitorings are pilot monnitorings, flying pilots are flying pilots and relief pilots do whatever the person on break was doing.
Confused yet?
Nah, actually we're all a little different. Some airlines have cruise pilots which is a whole 'nother set of sillyness.
We had some issues with four-man flying on the ER when we started doing 12-plus. So the company put it's foot down and says that the "captain of record" is the captain regardless of seniority. Otherwise, it'd be like driving with a backseat driving wife: "You're doing it wrong", "Shut up, you want to fly?" "No, but you're doing it wrong!"
That *mostly* makes sense. I think our difference stems from the fact that we had a special category of RO qualified FOs back before a type rating was needed for everybody. Because many of the FOs weren't typed, the RO had to be designated so there was a PIC in the cockpit, when the captain went back on rest.
Apparently we are now running 1 CA/3 FO crews on some of the 13+ hour stuff. We also, pretty regularly did 2 CA/1 FO on the overnight Pongo turns. Good deal for the CAs (sleep one way and work the other) but a long night for the FO.
JetDoc
Pit Bull Wrangler
Reminds me of a time when I was commuting from the west coast to Indy. Most of the time I would non rev on Airways in uniform because terminal A at SMF to this day still does not have KCM and I want to be able to bring a full tube of toothpaste with me. So we land in Indy, it's late and I'm working my way to the front and the Captain sees me, an eastie I'm assuming from his reaction and proceeds to dress me down one said and then the other about jump seating on his airplane without asking permission. I calmly reached into the breast pocket of my jacket and showed him my ticket, clearly marked "NRSA" and he shut his pie hole. The look on his face was comical and it was difficult to stifle a laugh.. He almost apologized stating that he didn't know that "regional pilots" had non rev benefits on "his" airline. For a while afterward I would check in even if I was non reving but not anymore. Like stated above, it's a unnecessary distraction to the crew.
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Most of the east guys were well aware of regionals non revving, as the two WOs had privileges even before it was the norm for regional feed to have non rev rights. AWA apparently had a big fight over Mesa being able to nonrev way back and every nrsa issue I had in the system was with west crews who didn't understand the concept of WOs and other regional feed.
I remember when I was a ramper for Piedmont nonrevving out of TUS a few years back the gate agent, who I think worked for mainline, had never heard of us.
JustinS
Well-Known Member
A lot of my ramp supervisors worked for the actual Piedmont. Sounded like a hell of an awesome time back in the 80s.
z987k
Well-Known Member
The RO... the glorified flight attendant, gets paid more than the guy in the right seat actually doing something?
We've type rated first officers in all international-capable categories far before the rule. Why, I have no idea.
I think NWA did it more like Hawaiian, but I'm not sure.
Quite honestly, the only time I get out of my little village of submarine commanders is JC or if I go to a convention but then the conversation is more like "What beer is good and watch out for the guy with the red shirt, he's an ass".
I had a West FA (she had on an AWA badge clip) ask me the other day what airline "AAC" was and how do we get to nonrev on them..
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