Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Airline Pilot Forums > Major > Allegiant
Life on Reserve and other newbie questions >

Life on Reserve and other newbie questions

Notices

Life on Reserve and other newbie questions

Old 02-21-2020, 08:28 AM
  #1  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 7
Default Life on Reserve and other newbie questions

Hello!

I have an interview soon. I really like the idea of being home every night, and although the first year pay is a ways from ideal, I've decided to make it work. I do have some questions about reserve life though:
  1. From what I've heard, how long you are on reserve is really dependent on what base you're at. I've been on reserve far too long for my liking at my current company and would like to minimize it. Any way to know which base is going to grow most when I hit class so I know what to bid? I can move pretty much anywhere in Florida, and would consider Georgia or other southern areas.
  2. I've heard that reserves get limo'd around Florida, often for lengthy periods. Is all of that time considered Duty time or only a portion? For example, at my current company transport, either deadhead on aircraft or limo, it's counted before a live leg but not at the end of the day. Then there's sometimes an argument over how much rest time there is before the start of the next shift.
  3. Is that limo time included in pay credit at all?
  4. Is there a limit to how much time you can be limo'd around? (There's nothing in the contract that is available online, and I'm wondering if there's an LOA or anything written on the subject.)
  5. When on reserve, do you get to bid for the shift you want? Once you are awarded a shift does Crew Scheduling mess with it after the fact? For example, my current company will award a morning home standby starting at 0400, but then call you at 0400, release you to rest for 10 hours and ask you to come in to the airport at 1500. Is there any way to stay on the same morning or evening shift? I know that much of this can happen once a pilot has a line, but it seems that pilots on reserve can be moved around at will with no consideration of the pilot's schedule or QOL. Given reserve could be measured in years, I want to know what I'm getting into.
  6. Does the union have any teeth to it? It seems that the company/union relations are not particularly harmonious. I wonder if pilots are fired for whatever reason (of course they'll come up with something not union related) if they are involved with the union in a way the company doesn't like.
  7. I believe the current contract ends in 2021. Are negotiations starting soon?
  8. Are Long Call Reserves used at all or is it just RAPs, two shifts one starting at 0330 and one starting at 0900, 12 hours in duration, with a 90 minute to the parking lot?
  9. How is the health insurance? I've never heard of TeamCare before; is it still being used and what's your experience with it?
  10. Are extensions expected with those on Reserve? How often? Any repercussions from denying them?
Thanks very much for your time and help!
SkySeeker is offline  
Old 02-21-2020, 10:08 AM
  #2  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 94
Default

Originally Posted by SkySeeker View Post
Hello!

I have an interview soon. I really like the idea of being home every night, and although the first year pay is a ways from ideal, I've decided to make it work. I do have some questions about reserve life though:
  1. From what I've heard, how long you are on reserve is really dependent on what base you're at. I've been on reserve far too long for my liking at my current company and would like to minimize it. Any way to know which base is going to grow most when I hit class so I know what to bid? I can move pretty much anywhere in Florida, and would consider Georgia or other southern areas.
  2. I've heard that reserves get limo'd around Florida, often for lengthy periods. Is all of that time considered Duty time or only a portion? For example, at my current company transport, either deadhead on aircraft or limo, it's counted before a live leg but not at the end of the day. Then there's sometimes an argument over how much rest time there is before the start of the next shift.
  3. Is that limo time included in pay credit at all?
  4. Is there a limit to how much time you can be limo'd around? (There's nothing in the contract that is available online, and I'm wondering if there's an LOA or anything written on the subject.)
  5. When on reserve, do you get to bid for the shift you want? Once you are awarded a shift does Crew Scheduling mess with it after the fact? For example, my current company will award a morning home standby starting at 0400, but then call you at 0400, release you to rest for 10 hours and ask you to come in to the airport at 1500. Is there any way to stay on the same morning or evening shift? I know that much of this can happen once a pilot has a line, but it seems that pilots on reserve can be moved around at will with no consideration of the pilot's schedule or QOL. Given reserve could be measured in years, I want to know what I'm getting into.
  6. Does the union have any teeth to it? It seems that the company/union relations are not particularly harmonious. I wonder if pilots are fired for whatever reason (of course they'll come up with something not union related) if they are involved with the union in a way the company doesn't like.
  7. I believe the current contract ends in 2021. Are negotiations starting soon?
  8. Are Long Call Reserves used at all or is it just RAPs, two shifts one starting at 0330 and one starting at 0900, 12 hours in duration, with a 90 minute to the parking lot?
  9. How is the health insurance? I've never heard of TeamCare before; is it still being used and what's your experience with it?
  10. Are extensions expected with those on Reserve? How often? Any repercussions from denying them?
Thanks very much for your time and help!
Oh boy. Lots of questions, here we go...

1. Not especially. However bid results are routinely posted, and some bases are more senior than others. SFB and PIE, are more senior (generally) than PGD, VPS, SAV, and FLL. Reserve here can be great or terrible. Reserve in VPS for example, you probably won't be used a whole lot, but in SFB, you are likely to get send via car/limo all over the state to cover flying, or do rescue flights. Reserve in some some bases is Amazing, and in others, terrible.

2. Part 117 applies here. A DH after flying duty is NOT considered for FDP limits. However, if you're fatigued, you're fatigued.

3. Limo is DH time, which right now pays 50%, issue needing to be corrected in the next contract.

4. No

5. We do have reserve shifts you can bid. Generally something like 0330, 0930, 1200, 1500 reserve start times. When you are phone liable, they CAN move your reserve period on subsequent days for "operational need". Seems to happen most on your last day of your block when you can self release after 8 hours. Nothing scientific to that, just seems to happen A LOT.

6. The union tries hard against a company who is very anti-union. Arbitration win rate is in excess of 90%.

7. Feb 2021. Management jests about wanting to start early and us getting a fair contract. When it happens I'll believe it.

8. Long Call is in the contract, never implemented by the company. Usually more than 2 shifts as staled in 5, 12 hours long, 90 mins to parking lot, self release after 8 hours after a block on with a block off.

9. Health insurance is good. (Team)Care, is (Team)sters, BCBS plan.

10. Not typical, unless you get stuck on the road with a broken airplane or something. I have never had them move my reserve days to stick me out on the road, but theoretically possible under the right circumstances. Also, you can't sit reserve out of base, so that helps a little bit.
astaz is offline  
Old 02-21-2020, 12:15 PM
  #3  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 7
Default

Thanks Astaz!
Some followups:
1. Not especially. However bid results are routinely posted, and some bases are more senior than others. SFB and PIE, are more senior (generally) than PGD, VPS, SAV, and FLL. Reserve here can be great or terrible. Reserve in VPS for example, you probably won't be used a whole lot, but in SFB, you are likely to get send via car/limo all over the state to cover flying, or do rescue flights. Reserve in some some bases is Amazing, and in others, terrible.

Could you say more about what makes it terrible in some bases?

5. We do have reserve shifts you can bid. Generally something like 0330, 0930, 1200, 1500 reserve start times. When you are phone liable, they CAN move your reserve period on subsequent days for "operational need". Seems to happen most on your last day of your block when you can self release after 8 hours. Nothing scientific to that, just seems to happen A LOT.

I'm not familiar with the terminology here...last day of your block? As in a day on shift? This will explain the answer for 8 too :-)

Thanks again!
SkySeeker is offline  
Old 02-21-2020, 02:26 PM
  #4  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 94
Default

Originally Posted by SkySeeker View Post
Thanks Astaz!
Some followups:
1. Not especially. However bid results are routinely posted, and some bases are more senior than others. SFB and PIE, are more senior (generally) than PGD, VPS, SAV, and FLL. Reserve here can be great or terrible. Reserve in VPS for example, you probably won't be used a whole lot, but in SFB, you are likely to get send via car/limo all over the state to cover flying, or do rescue flights. Reserve in some some bases is Amazing, and in others, terrible.

Could you say more about what makes it terrible in some bases?

5. We do have reserve shifts you can bid. Generally something like 0330, 0930, 1200, 1500 reserve start times. When you are phone liable, they CAN move your reserve period on subsequent days for "operational need". Seems to happen most on your last day of your block when you can self release after 8 hours. Nothing scientific to that, just seems to happen A LOT.

I'm not familiar with the terminology here...last day of your block? As in a day on shift? This will explain the answer for 8 too :-)

Thanks again!
Reserves in Bases like SFB (more pilots, more planes than some of its Florida/East cost brothers), tend to get DH’d and sent around a lot more often then say, a reserve in IWA. Everything in Florida is close and those guys end up cleaning up IROP situations all the time.

A “block” is more than one. So 2 days on, 2 days off, is a block of days on followed by a block of days off, therefore you can self release. 1 on and 2 of does not meet the same criteria.
astaz is offline  
Old 02-22-2020, 05:22 AM
  #5  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Sep 2016
Posts: 136
Default

Originally Posted by astaz View Post
Reserves in Bases like SFB (more pilots, more planes than some of its Florida/East cost brothers), tend to get DH’d and sent around a lot more often then say, a reserve in IWA. Everything in Florida is close and those guys end up cleaning up IROP situations all the time.

A “block” is more than one. So 2 days on, 2 days off, is a block of days on followed by a block of days off, therefore you can self release. 1 on and 2 of does not meet the same criteria.
I’d take it even further and say we have large base reserve (+4 airplanes) and micro base reserve (less than 4 airplanes). In large bases you can be called for an assignment almost every single reserve day, in the smaller bases you might fly 2 times a month
Alexander12 is offline  
Old 02-22-2020, 05:26 AM
  #6  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 94
Default

Originally Posted by Alexander12 View Post
I’d take it even further and say we have large base reserve (+4 airplanes) and micro base reserve (less than 4 airplanes). In large bases you can be called for an assignment almost every single reserve day, in the smaller bases you might fly 2 times a month
I’m in a 4+ airplane base; and get called 3-4 times a month on reserve if I’m unlucky. Granted, I usually pickup a lot on days off and end up low on the call out list.
astaz is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices