Originally Posted by ZapBrannigan

Common misconception at this airline. Reserves sitting at home (or in the crashpad or hotel) ARE working. They are being paid to remain in a state of readiness. Rested, sober, nourished and prepared to get to the airport and be airborne in less than three hours. They are the accumulators of the pilot force - reducing bumps in the system by absorbing surge when necessary. They are the firefighters. The home owners insurance. Their value lies in their very presence and rapid response.

Now if the company chooses to use them for future open time that they don’t want to pay premium for, well... there’s not much we can do about that. We can’t force them to use reserves for the duty reserves should be earmarked for (short notice, rapid response)

Make no mistake. Those reserves ARE at work.