Originally Posted by flensr

Crashpad or cheap hotel.

If you don't want reserve, you'll be on RES for less than a year. If you're gonna commute anyway consider *gasp* ACY and be near the top of the seniority list there in 6-9 months. Bid the line you think you can drop the easiest plus transition conflict, try to drop everything, and then pick back up from a more convenient base.

There is no real distinction between 3 and 11 hour callouts. You might get a day's notice, might get 2 hours notice and a pretty-please with 1 hr move-up pay on top if you can get there fast and push on time. Contract says "at the gate ready to go" 3 hours after the call.

When I was on RES, I'd guess that at least half of my calls were 6 hours or less, however they company *usually* called me as soon as my duty window opened and if I checked my schedule before getting called, I would sometimes see that I'd been assigned a trip almost a full day prior and they just didn't call until the beginning of my next RES window.

Lack of 121 time and lack of degree doesn't seem to be an issue but you'll never know if you don't apply.

A little bird I overheard suggested that one other high-payoff first-year game to be played is to drop everything possible first year, and use the time off to finish up that college degree, maybe volunteer somewhere to add some more points on your legacy apps. You'll get more pay at some regionals now but you'll also fly more, with less time for school. Depends on which benefits you more, SIC 121 hours or a degree.