If you are thinking of heading over, you might want to know how reserve works - I think we have some of the better reserve rules but you decide that.

When you are on reserve, you have a monthly schedule with only 11 days off, the rest of your days are just "Reserve." The way a reserve day works is the day PRIOR to a reserve day, you do something called "proffering." You can look at a list of open flying ranging from a single turn, to full 4 day trips. You then list which, if any trips, you want. Then by 5PM, scheduling will go through the reserve list in seniority order and assign trips. Once your trip is confirmed at 5PM, you are untouchable till sign in - this makes it good for commuters. Pick up that trip that starts at 4 or 5 the next day, you have time to commute in.

If you do not get a trip you want (or do not list) you get what is called a Reserve Availability Period (or RAP). This is a 2 hour call out window that. We have 2, RAP1 which is from 4AM till 7PM and RAP2 which is 10AM to 1AM. During this time, they will call you out in seniority order with a minimum of 2 hours to sign in.

There is also airport standby - you are at the airport from 5:30AM to 1:30PM or 2:00p to 10:00pm. You can also be called out from a RAP (see above) to finish a standby if they had to use the standby, but no longer is it just an arbitrary 8 hour period - you can ONLY be called out to finish a standby. I HAVE been called out to sit standby for an hour and a half.

You can only have up to 1 thing added to you, but it could be anything. For instance, you could be called out from a RAP and given a turn. Then they can add a turn or an overnight - or they could add a full 4 day trip to you (assuming you are good for it).

As a person who lives in base and am near the top of the reserve list where staffing is OK - I never list trips and just get some sort of RAP. It means some days I get to sit at home and not get called. Some days you can look at the list and know that by a certain point you are completely free - this often works to your advantage. At the same time, sometimes sh!t hits the fan, and you get that lovely 4AM wake up call. It's a gamble but I would say I've come out on top more than the house.

Proffering definitely helps, especially with commuters but also having some semblance of control over things on reserve - you are not ALWAYS at the whim of the company. Just often