Originally Posted by sailingfun

I commute to NYC from the south. I get GS's quite often. I see GS's awarded for the next day quite often in the A category on the ER. I hear the legend that you can only get a GS if you live in base. The reality is that GS's are much more dependent on manning. In the summer its not unusual to see multiple pilots on GS number 3 or 4. Certainly if you live in base you might get more short notice call outs but there are enough trips covered the day prior or early morning for evening departures to spread the wealth to commuters.
If you want hiring the last thing you want is premium pay above a certain hour figure. Guys will trip all over themselves to get above that threshold and hiring will be put off that much longer. At least GS's tie into the manning formula and increase min staffing.