Time Utilization

Realms09

Well-Known Member
My understanding is that pilots in the airline sector are paid only for flight hours. If so what motivation exists for the Company to use your time efficiently? If there is no motivation, why is there not attempt to negotiate pay for duty time rather than flight time?
 
We didn't have a rig, we had a minimum amount of pay that we were going to get per day no matter how much or how little we flew. So if I had a turn with 1.5 hours, I'd get paid 3.75 no matter what.

Didn't really help me much because I was on reserve, and you get paid 3.75 per day no matter what on reserve.
 
We didn't have a rig, we had a minimum amount of pay that we were going to get per day no matter how much or how little we flew. So if I had a turn with 1.5 hours, I'd get paid 3.75 no matter what.

Didn't really help me much because I was on reserve, and you get paid 3.75 per day no matter what on reserve.

(XJT)

3.75 only if was a day off. If it was a day on the daily min is 2.0 hours credited as as soft time against the total value of the trip. (ie day 1 is 1.4 hours and day 2 is 4.0 hours, you dont get anything extra because 2.0x2= 4 hours and the trip is 5.4 hours).
 
Thanks. Found a brief description on another forum. Are duty rigs an industry standard?

Colgan doesnt have duty/trip rigs, and it shows.

We are def. some of the lowest paid pilots. Even other airlines that have lower hourly rates, their pilots are still paid more than us due to trip and duty rigs and any extras.

We get 2hrs a day for reserve, and we are paid for whatever we fly. If we had rigs then the schedules would be much different. Last month I had a 4 day trip that ended with us deadheading from an outstation and then sitting in dulles for 3 hours and then doing 1 round trip. So we basically had a 24 hour period burnt up with 1 round trip, which paid around 3 hours.

Combine this with the fact that if you are a lowly reserve your line is only built to around 40 hours of credit so if you do get called in and get slammed with heavy work days, your essentially working for free.
 
Here's an example of an airline that has no incentive to utilize their pilots in a timely manner: Pinnacle.

Ready reserve shifts are 9 hours. If you don't fly.....you don't get paid any extra. If you do fly but don't break guarantee, you don't get any extra other than per diem. If you sit ready reserve for 20 days at 9 hours a day, you're at work for 180 hours but paid for 75.

I flew a trip on Thanksgiving that had me fly one leg to MCI and sit there for 23 hours. At XJT or Skywest, I woulda credited more than the hour and change that one flight netted me. You can be on duty for 6 hours here and only fly two legs. Fly into MSP, sit for 4:59 minutes and then fly out. You get paid for the two legs and that's it. Other airlines, you'd be getting SOMETHING for that 4:59 sit based on duty rigs.

Bottom line, friends don't let friends go to Pinnacle until we have a new contract that addresses these INDUSTRY STANDARD issues.
 
For Mesaba:

Min. day pay is 4 hours. Ex: If you have a 12 hour duty day with 3 hours of flying, you get paid for 4.

We also have trip guarantee. Ex: 4-day trip w/ scheduled 25 hours of block time... half of your flights cancel and you only fly 15 hours... you get paid 25 hours for that trip. Also, if you end up flying 28 hours because of in flight delays, you get paid for 28 hours.
 
(XJT)

3.75 only if was a day off. If it was a day on the daily min is 2.0 hours credited as as soft time against the total value of the trip. (ie day 1 is 1.4 hours and day 2 is 4.0 hours, you dont get anything extra because 2.0x2= 4 hours and the trip is 5.4 hours).

Dude Express needs a rig. This goes to show what I knew about lineholder rules when I was a reserve for 14 months!

Thanks for the correction man, you got any idea of when you're heading back to the left seat?
 
Kellwolf, I'm begging you to change that avatar. I'm going to have nightmares every single night if I have to see that thing on here all the time. :)
 
That's like saying a hippo's a pet. Yeah sure, it's cute and cuddly until IT EATS YOUR KID AND KNOCKS OVER YOUR HOUSE!
 
That's like saying a hippo's a pet. Yeah sure, it's cute and cuddly until IT EATS YOUR KID AND KNOCKS OVER YOUR HOUSE!

It's in a 10 gal on my desk. Er, the tarantula not the hippo. :)

She just eats crickets, though. Granted she nabbed 7 of the little things in about 30 minutes the other day.....


I could always go with this one:

3092636715_c39d220bcc.jpg


My house is starting to resemble Animal Planet.
 
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