MCO DFW or MCO CLT are really not bad commutes at all. All Airbus. Easy to get a jumpseat. Multiple flights. It is a time suck with the longer flights, just depends on your tolerance for that.

MIA is challenging but not impossible, after all, plenty keep doing it.

ooof, yeah there is almost going to be zero opportunity to make extra money on reserve especially as a commuter. This isn't a regional, there are a lot of union imposed contract items to protect people from picking up too much time that would either usurp seniority or the company to get by with fewer pilots. Once you get a line it gets a little easier.

I've been on reserve most of my time here at AA and have gotten PR on my days off a few times, but I had a short call out time listed and can drive to work. I never once got PR or OG that went over already assigned reserve days. I would not expect that to happen.

The only consistent way is to bid long call and request trips no one wants in DOTC so you can max out to 85 hours. Try to get trips with 3 hour base sits to increase your chances of reassignment pay.

We do LGA-MCO. Not sure on the frequency, but I have seen it as a part of the trip packets for the 737.

dfw-mco-dfw is almost always full, every leg, every day. Book the jumpseat 8 days out, but plan to ignore the dirty looks from the more senior people who think the JS should be seniority based with no regard for time of booking.

your experience may differ.

Haha thanks to all whom responded

Smugly smile right in their faces

MCO-DFW, only a single JS booked for the entire week, 10x flights a day so out of 70 flights only one JS booked and there is an alternate spot available.

I looked up MCO-CLT for tomorrow, there are only 2 JS booked and they are on different flights. Meaning you could have your pick of any flight and still be guaranteed* a seat booking it just 24 hours in advance.

Coming back CLT-MCO, same exact scenario, only two booked through the entire day and they are on different flights.

I went a week out, and after day 2 (which same thing, 2 JS booked different flights) not a single JS is booked for the remainder of the week.

9x flights a day, all 321 so 2x JS each.

*Assuming no CKA doing a check (but there are ways of finding that out as well)

Also I've never seen anyone give grief for booking a JS, in fact the opposite, everyone at mainline has always been up on the rules and knows who it belongs to.

MCO/TPA-MIA is a different story, you have to be on top of your game there.

Spend some time on the union forum and you will hear a different story.

I once asked when is an appropriate time for a junior commuter to book the jump seat. The responses basically said it’s not about junior people booking in accordance with policy; the issue is that seniority doesn’t mean anything when you can’t bump a junior person whenever you desire. Fairness/equality/etc. is seen as abrogating seniority.

How long has reserving the jumpseat been first come/first serve priority vs. seniority at American?