Originally Posted by
Hilltopper89
When I was on reserve I never answered the phone even when on long or short call. I always listened to the message first.
Be wary about calling them when you're off. I thought about it a few times when I had picked up late report assignments day 1 then later saw a better assignment I wanted. I was afraid to call and ask for those better trips because I was worried they'd say, " no. You can't have that trip. But since I've got you on the phone here's an 0630 departure. Enjoy."
Multiple times I had scheduling call me 6ish pm last day off 10 minutes after an early report trip popped into open time and they wouldn't leave a message. I surmise that early report trips appeared and they were trolling down the list to get some dummy to answer.
^^^This!! Never answer the phone. Let it go to VM, check the VM and verify that it is in accordance with the contract. On that note, read the contract when you're on reserve and have nothing else to do and take notes. I've been burned several times in my four short months here and had I known the contract, that wouldn't have happened.
As to not calling scheduling when you don't have to, DON'T DO IT. Out of sight, out of mind.
I learned the finer intricacies of deviating the hard way by calling at the end of my trip. I had been assigned a trip off a 0100 SC (called at 0145). I was paired with a CA from EWR (not my base) and the trip ended there. I was going to deviate and decided to just call them once I was done with the trip. It would be late afternoon on my second to last day of reserve. What could go wrong.....
I walked to the gate for my scheduled DH and called to deviate. I soon found myself on a DH from EWR-SFO (right at my FDP limit), overnight, one leg from SFO-SAN, 27 hr layover in SAN and finally a SAN-SFO with DH home on my day off.
Lesson 1: Had I not called them, I wouldn't have opened myself up to reassignment until completion of my originally scheduled DH. And I would have not had the FDP to make the schlepp across the country. I also wouldn't have presented as an easy target in their time of need.
Lesson 2: By not knowing the contract, I missed out on the reassignment requirement in 20-L-2 for return to my base. They violated 20-L-2-a-(2) in my case. Had I known that, they would have had to return me to my base after the SFO-SAN leg the next day.
So the "they can't violate the contract" statement isn't technically correct. They aren't supposed to violate the contract, but their human too....or just evil...not sure which.
Lesson 3: For the other new folks out there on reserve, here is how to deviate without calling skeds during the trip:
-Once you have the trip assigned and you want to deviate, let them know during the call or call scheduling and get the deviation approved so it shows "Fake" in the schedule before you depart.
-Find your flight you want in employee res (if UAL flight) and book with the "deviation" drop down option. This is still a PS booking.
-Email PSC with the PNR for approval. As long as your schedule says "Fake" they will approve the PNR.