View Single Post
Old 12-22-2019, 04:06 AM
  #3  
FlewNavy
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Posts: 376
Default

Congrats on the offer from UAL! I think in the short term you will probably miss the corporate gig but in the long run you will be in a much better place particularly since you mention wanting a more predictable schedule.

1) EWR is a 3.5 -4hr drive from my house. What does a reserve schedule look like? Will I have to commute in the night before or dose a receive block always start with long call?
- Reserve is 18 days per month. You will start on long call but frequently be given short call and field standby assignments if not assigned a trip. I had to drive about 5 hours to my first domicile from where I lived and I kept a crash pad until I switched to living in base. During a 4-5 day block of reserve you will likely have to spend 1-3 days at EWR to cover SC/FSB assignments unless you are assigned or aggressively pickup trips (if available). The best thing to know for now is that in the narrow body fleets you are given 12-13 days off per month that the company can't move around. Another thing to consider is that EWR is a junior base and you will be a line holder within a reasonable time - probably less than a year. As a line holder you will have your schedule and can keep it or modify it as able and the rest of the days off are yours. Lineholders typically see 15-16 days off but at a minimum have 12-13.

2) How much vacation does one get and how do you use it?
-14 days for the first couple of years. You bid annually and/or monthly. Junior vacation awards are typically anything but summer, Christmas and spring break.

3) If you want to purchase airfare for the whole family at a discount (instead of trying to fly space available) how are the tickets discounted?
-About 20%

4) As I understand it, profit sharing is available after completing your first year and averages somewhere around 8%. Is this correct?
- Not sure if there is a historical average but the important thing to remember is that the profit sharing is for your first CALENDAR year. So if you start anytime in 2020, your first year of profit sharing check would be for the CALENDAR year of 2021 and show up sometime in 2022.

5) How far in advance is your schedule known?
-First Officer schedule awards shall be completed no later than 2359 CT on the seventeenth (17th) calendar day of the month.

6) Can someone explain how one drops or trades trips? How useful is this tool for manipulating your schedule?
- We have a trip trade system that is electronic and you submit your requests with that tool and sometimes over the phone with the futures desk. To most of us its a mystery but it is possible with some seniority to manipulate your schedule and move reserve days and drop trips IF there is adequate coverage. So in theory per the contract we can drop trips but the company keeps the "reserves required" number artificially high relative to the number of reserves available which leads to the "No coverage" response.

7) How are the family healthcare benefits for someone with a large family?
- There are a couple of different plans available and in my opinion they are typical company sponsored healthcare plans that have deductibles, caps and copays. I don't hear anyone complaining that often. I personally use the military system and use the company for vision and dental.
FlewNavy is offline