Aloha732

After some search, I have not been able to find the most current information on the basic reserve rules of non-regional carriers.

Please chime in, with your company's rules.
Feel free to share as much as you think is important.
At minimum please include:

Guaranteed flight hrs. and min. days off per month.
Reserve periods. (times, long/short)
Call out time. (max time call to show)
Call out priority and list. (who flies first)
Trade policy, open time pick up, drops.
Overtime.
Average days called and hrs. flown per month.


Thanks for your input.

Flyby1206

Jetblue


Guaranteed flight hrs. and min. days off per month.
75hrs guarantee, 12 or 13 days off per month (depending in 30 or 31 day bid period). During slow months you'll get an extra 1-2 days off per month after the bid award comes out if they have enough staffing. This happens maybe 3-5 months out of the year.

Reserve periods. (times, long/short)
Short call duration is 10hrs. The start times are custom built so you could begin a shift any time from 0245 to 2100 or earlier/later, Long call is typically 0001-2359 (not sure if this is what the question was asking?)

Call out time. (max time call to show)
Minimum call to show at airport is 2hrs for short and 14hrs for long

Call out priority and list. (who flies first)
It's a messy system where everyone is arranged by days of availability. If you are on for 4 days and a 3day trip pops up they have to assign it to a 3day guy if they have one. If others are avail for the same number of days as you are then it goes by lowest flight time gets assigned the trip. Seniority doesn't mean too much on our reserve system.

Trade policy, open time pick up, drops.
You can move around RSV days within your schedule based on staffing levels, and trade with other pilots

Overtime.
Pretty rare to break guarantee with regular flying, but the company will offer extra reserve shifts on occasion which pay 4:12 at 150% pay above your guarantee. If you get assigned a trip on that extra shift then you get the greater credit value at 150% pay.

Average days called and hrs. flown per month.
20-30hrs in the fall, 30-40 in the spring, 50-70 in the summer

gatorbird

Great thread, can't believe it's only gotten the one reply. For Spirit:

-12 days off (30-day month) or 13 days off (31-day month, 72 hr guarantee. No "freebies" like the JetBlue pilot claimed they'll get some months; minimum days are minimum days. However, we do have a very pilot-friendly month-to-month transition conflict language (line bidding) that some (most?) reserves take advantage of and score additional days off. Can be anywhere from 1 to 6; I average 4-5 extra days off any given month due to this.

-Only one available period length (14 hours). "Reserve Availability Period" start time set by company and provided in bid package; can be modified but rarely is. 0300, 0800, 1000, 1500 and 1900 RAPs are historical start times. Some count as 2 calendar days (1000/1500/1900).

-Call out time is "arrive at the airport ready to depart" within 3 hours, whatever that really means. Never heard of anyone given grief for it; usually "do the best you can".

-Call out priority sounds similar to what the JetBlue guy posted; most important criteria (for the company) is matching trip with reserve days remaining (iow, a 2-day will go to the pilot with 2 days of reserve availability, bypassing a pilot with 1, 3, 4, etc). Once that is matched, it's based on monthly flight credit (low to high) then seniority. Reserve availability is transparent, but it's never seemed the available trips are. Lots of flying seems to "pop up" once it hits reserve assignment time guidelines, prohibiting line holders from making the extra bucks if they so choose.

-No OT pickup officially allowed as a reserve, but it happens frequently in bases with skinny coverage. Desperation breeds negotiation. No trades allowed either (reserve period for reserve period allowed but none are ever posted). Drops allowed with "green" coverage, which includes a significant number of days since a recent arbitration ruling on this topic (red/green). You can literally drop your entire month if you so choose.

-Some earn a little extra credit (called "move-up" pay) by answering the phone outside of RAP. Happens frequently for me answering phone at 1700 for a DH that evening; usually too late if they can't reach me until 1900.

-Average days utilized/flight hours flown is all across the board, primarily driven by base. Time of year and WX play their usual role as well.

-Lots of our reserve coverage actually comes from R days built into "relief" lines. Pro: 15 day off minimum, can trade/pickup. Con: no transition conflict and lack of "set" bidding days. Relief bidding not allowed in months with vacation.

-Areas deemed needing improvement (from a perpetual reserve's perspective): I'd love to see a long-call system here, especially as a commuter who could pull it off from home. Open trip transparency is crucial to ensure the company is playing by the rules; sorely lacking now. A better callout system and ability to "prefer to fly/prefer to sit in underwear". A realistic ability to swap R days during month.

Hope this helps. I'd really like to hear from others as we are approaching openers.

GuppyPuppy

Limited Liability company?

Do you mean low cost carrier?

GP

GuppyPuppy

Limited Liability Corporation?

Do you mean low cost carrier?

GP

Pogey Bait

I am curious also. At Delta is there even short call reserve?

Alan Shore

There is. The norm is long call (12-hour leash), but each reserve pilot can be put on short call 6-7 times per month, depending on the reserve guarantee.

Xbrit

To add to the JB.

RAP at JB is 10h. It's assigned the day before by noon (most of the time) and i believe now the reserves get to bid on it. Also we have last day release, if you are not needed on your last day they will show that on your schedule at noon the day before. If you are on your last day of reserve and they have not called you by 1700 you are automatically released (no call required). When I was on reserve a year ago i would always call them 2-3 hours into my last 10 hour stretch and asked to be released and 9/10 I was, the other times wait a few hours and call again. I never went past noon on my last day unless I was flying. Sept, Oct, Nov 2013 i averaged 21 days at home (Off, Pre-Release, Last Day Release, & Long Call) A320 JFK

The Drizzle

"6-7 times" Is that 6-7 days, or can they just make you short call for the entire month just using 6-7 phone calls that cover every day of the month?

Alan Shore

It's 6-7 short call periods. Each short call period is 12 hours long.