Originally Posted by
FXLAX
My issue with this whole thing is, where does it explain how to deviate only the first leg? The new hire guide is very vague with this. My interpretation of that guide was that there’s only one way to deviate regardless of which legs you plan to deviate, and then you check in at the gate of the second leg to let CRS know you aren’t deviating the second leg. Regardless of how you deviate, the end result is the same, you are on the second leg of the dh. So I’m not sure how it should make a difference to CRS.
Are you asking how to do that? If so, I'll be happy to explain but I can't tell if you already know and are just asking rhetorically.
There is no one place the step by step, nuts and bolts are explained. Officially anyway. There's a 21 page PDF circulating around that explains deviating in detail. Absent that, the procedures simply evolved and people have figured it out via WOM, this forum and trial and error. There are some FAQs in Insite and notes contained on various VIPS screen that you only see when you actually have a deadhead and are attempting to deviate. Some are only available to read after you've taken an irreversible action. It's a pretty bad education process for our new hires - hence the single source PDF I mentioned.
We used to have to deviate all legs no matter what. There was no option to join one of the DH legs. You lost your GT no matter what you did. You did your final check-in when you were within 100 NM of your revenue city. That was it.
Now we have more options, but those are only worthwhile if people understand them, use and enforce them when necessary. As you can see, some people didn't even know the Check-in criteria changed and the screen now includes "joining a segment of the scheduled deadhead". But it's there.
Why it makes a difference to crew control is they want to be able to pawn the responsibility off on us rather than solve the problem themselves. If the DH goes as scheduled, it makes no difference to them. If it doesn't, the less pilots they have to revise and reschedule the better. So, you bet their first option is going to be to tell you - "You deviated, it's your problem". That only works now if we let it (or you're actually still deviating and not on a segment of the scheduled deadhead).