Originally Posted by
arouth
So a couple questions from this.
If I'm on Short Call with 4AM, 6AM, 9AM or Noon starts, is it like 5 or 6 days in a row or is it going to be just random as a new guy? I'm going to miss having weekends off, but I guess I'll have to suck it up...
Does ExpressJet have any jump seat deals with Delta or any of the majors? If I'm going to be off up to 20 days a month then I might try and do a bit of traveling on my days off.
This is starting to smell of troll to me. But I realize that I am a cynical, misanthropic SOB and will give you the benefit of the doubt.
And I will preface with:
I have no experience with anything other than flying the CRJ and being based in ATL, so YMMV.
I should have been clearer.
The start time is the same all month.
If you live in base you
might have 20-ish days at home a month: ie - you are not used and do not have to "do" anything, but you do need to be ready to head to the airport on short notice. You may also be used every single day of RSV for the month. If you do not live in base, you will need somewhere to stay so that you can report within 120 min of being called. Not being used in that situation sucks. Hard. If you are on call at home, you can go about your life to a great extent, but you are on a short leash. Sitting in a crashpad and not being used can suck the life right out of you. Think of it this way: commuting to reserve is like being in prison, reserve in base is more like having to do community service.
You do have a little bit of control over which or how many days in row you are on call or are off when you bid your schedule, but it is limited. Being at the very bottom of the list = the least control over your quality of life. And there are only so many ways you can fit 20 days of RSV and 11 days off into a month while complying with the CBA and FARs. So dont plan on being able to make many plans.
Once you are in CASS (early on in training, I think), you can jumpseat on just about any carrier domestically. And if you are on the CRJ side, you have Delta travel benefits, albeit with VERY low boarding priority on any flights not operated by XJT. I dont know if we (CRJ) have United benefits any more, or anything about American. ERJ pilots do have United flight benefits, but again I dont know about American. The reality is that non-revving is a real pain in the arse much of the time, but again, living in base helps a lot (especially if it is a hub). It is much easier to go out and deal with the craziness of standby travel if you are not already doing it at least once a week going to and from work.
Hope that helps.