Originally Posted by
thesweetlycool
Cool, thanks for all the responses! That was going to be my next questions was how much time most airlines require you to be at your plane after getting the "call". In my circumstance, i would live about 2 hours from the airport and would then require more time to get through security, ect. Are most people on call 6 days a week or so?
When you work on reserve depends on what you bid, what you were awarded, and what the needs of the company are. For instance, this month I was on home reserve on the 1st and they didn't use me. They did, however, give me a 3 day trip for the 2nd through the 4th. I was off on the 5th. Then I sat Ready Reserve (At the airport, in uniform, and with my luggage) on the 6th and 7th. I ended up getting one "out and back" each day. Home reserve again on the 8th with no call, off on the 9th (I bid single days off), home reserve on the 10th with no call, but they did inform me of a day trip starting at 7:20 a.m. on the 11th. I am off the 12th-15th, and back on home reserve for the 16th through 18th, but have no idea what they might do with me yet. Maybe something, maybe nothing. The rest of the month is more of the same.
In a nutshell, there really is no defined formula of what to expect exactly from reserve. If you keep that perspective, and plan your life based on getting paid the minimum guarantee, you will be fine. Be flexible, and remember that reserve is a step, not a destination!