As I understand it:
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
1. On Skywest aircraft, you can list for the jumpseat in advance, presumably using a website to do so. How long in advance can you list? Is it first-come, first-served, or does it go by seniority?
You can't really list for jumpseat in advance (except on AA). You show up to the gate and list at the gate. Skywest crews have priority for jumpseats on Skywest airplanes. If you list with another Skywest pilot then it goes by seniority for who gets the jumpseat.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
2. On aircraft operated by a partner airline (AA, DAL, UAL, Alaska)...how does that work? I assume that mainline crews get priority. Can you list in advance or do you just have to show up and hope you get a seat? Who can bump you? And, given that OO only operates for AA and Alaska along relatively limited routes, how would your chances of getting an Alaska jumpseat be if you aren't flying on a OO airplane on an Alaska route?
Again you just show up at the gate and list. Anyone listed who works for the airline will have priority over you. For United flights the priority is UAL pilots, then United Express employees by time of checkin. If you check in before an expressjet/republic pilot you bump them. If they check in before you then they bump you.
Chances of getting on vary by route. I've commuted ORD-SFO, ORD-LAX and LAX-FAT in my career. ORD-SFO and ORD-LAX I rarely ever got bumped. The jumpseat was always available. LAX-FAT I was bumped probably an average of 3 times every single day I tried to do that commute. Every plane is full with multiple jumpseaters for every flight. It got better once we started doing the AA flights and had priority on them. When Eagle operated those flights I would get bumped by mainline American pilots all the time who for some reason choose to live in FAT.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
3. On aircraft operated by non-partner airlines (SWA, VX, etc etc), you cannot list in advance. You just show up at the airport and hope there is a seat. You are last in priority after mainline crew and crew at regionals that partner with that mainline.
You can list in advance for some airlines. Every airline is different. SWA, JetBlue and American are three that prefer you call ahead or list online. Most airlines just have you list at the gate.
Jumpseaters always have last priority on the standby list. Even on a Skywest flight if you list for jumpseat you're put at the bottom of the standby list. It doesn't matter if you're offline or not.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
1) Let's say you commute out of SFO, as I would be. Can you park for free in SFO employee parking or do you have to pay?
Skywest will not buy commuters parking passes anywhere other than their domicile. Parking is 100% on you if you're looking for a parking pass outside of your domicile even if you live in one domicile and commute to another. I have a lot of unkind things to say about this policy so I'll just leave it at that.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
2) In the worst-case scenario, you've done your best but you can't find a seat on any airline, meaning you're stuck in Dubuque while you're supposed to be in O'Hare. Crew scheduling calls you for a trip, and you confess you can't make it. How many times can that happen before they show you the door?
I met a guy with over 30 SADs once who hadn't been fired. Your first year you'll be on probation and won't be able to get away with much. After that it's pretty hard to get fired.
For what it's worth I commuted ORD-SFO, ORD-LAX and ORD-FAT for 2 years and never missed a single commute. If you're nervous about loads or it's near a holiday just leave yourself a few options and don't try to commute at the last second. As long as you plan ahead a bit it's not that hard (but it's a big waste of your time at home).
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
3) In places such as MSP, ORD, DEN, COS, IAH (the junior RJ bases, I believe), are there crash pads within reach of the airport by public transit?
Yes. Every domicile will have crashpad listings posted in the crew room. You probably want to stay away from maintenance bases like COS, TUS and FAT as a commuter. Most trips in maintenance bases start early in the morning when planes come out of maintenance, then end late at night with planes coming in for overnight maintenance. When I was based in FAT I would get stuck there for an extra night a lot because there are no late flights out of FAT, and every show time is early in the morning.
Originally Posted by
kfahmi
Sorry for the long-winded questions but given that an SFO/EMB base does not seem to be an option for new guys for quite some time, I just wanted to figure out how to prepare for the commuting life. Thank you for helping a FNG.
You'll probably get a transfer to at least LAX if not all the way to SFO within your first few months. Things are moving a bit at the bottom of the seniority list.