Originally Posted by
MikeF16
2. Do I understand the basing correctly? Home domicile, they buy you a ticket to a gateway and once at a gateway you're on the clock? I ask this since I love where I live but the airlines don't like San Antonio's crappy 28 gate airport apparently... After 10 moves for me, and 4 schools for my 7th grader I'd REALLY like to never move again. Ever.
I'll let the other guys with more time here answer the other two questions, but it's best to treat this arrangement at Atlas as "commuting without jumpseating/crashpadding." We're not home based.
For example, my domicile is CVG, but I live in San Diego. The vast majority of trips begin in CVG on Day 1, which means I commonly spend my last day off getting to CVG to be in position for work. Unfortunately, rig and per diem don't start accruing until your report time on Day 1, so you're not on the clock for pay purposes on your "commute" day. This is different from actual home-based airlines, which fly you from your home on Day 1.
But yes, the company will buy you a ticket to get you to your domicile (CVG, JFK, LAX, ANC, etc.) from your home (gateway airport). They'll also provide hotel accommodations before you start your pattern. It's really no different than working for a typical scheduled airline, except that there's no battle royale for the jumpseat, or sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with 14 other pilots.
P.S.: Losing a day off only happens if you're starting a trip at your domicile. This month, my trip started in JFK (odd, being that I'm a CVG guy), so my positioning from SAN to JFK was done on Day 1, and was treated as a deadhead (read: rig and per diem were accruing). Clear as mud?