Reasonable amount of time?
 

I was just wondering what a reasonable amount of time by driving distance is for AA reserves. Response from someone who is actually on reserve would be nice.

There is no number. Company wants to define one. Hasn't happened. The language has survived for decades.

Three hour drive for 15+ yrs. To include reserve. Some guys live farther away.

I'm on reserve. I've been asked "how soon can you get there?" I usually banter a little but without arguing. I know of 2 times in MIA my friends said 4 hours. They got tagged with missed trip or missed assignment. They had to go into the office. One walked in with a holiday tie on. OMG big mistake. The 2 chiefs hammered him on the 3 occasions that you can wear a holiday tie.

That is the kind of crud that goes on here. Really bad Boy Scout leaders.

But technically reasonably available by surface transportation is what the bid package says if bidding reserve. Most of the time it is for next day flying. Not short call.

I was called last Monday on my day off. I answered the phone just for grins as I was on Golden days off. She realized after I said Hello whats up? She siad you're on a day off. I said Yes. She said I gotta go cover a trip bye.

She didn;t even ask me. Kind of weird and funny. There is no way I would have gone in.

Beginning Jan 1, 2013 reserves can fly on there day off for pay above guarantee of 73 hrs. To my knowledge NO-ONE in MIA has been offered this.

If it ever happens you'd have to be really senior reserve to get it.

Hope this info helps. On reserve you never know what they will ask you. Never commit to a time. I do not know what traffic is, I'll get there as soon as possible, is the trip on my schedule? Can I have up front parking voucher?

Do you have to have it offered, or can you go into the OT list and pick it up?

The way I understand it, for AA reserves to pick up a trip on a day off, it must be offered by crew sched.

And as far as I know it has not happened so far since Jan 1 2013.

There is quite a bit of dhd'ing in reserves form other bases to cover trips when we are out of reserves.

Another little tidbit is AA likes to use TDY. If you TDY to a base 3 months in a row, then Crew mannning must create a vacancy.

We have a vacancy run for equip/seat/bases every month. I like that.

But they do move flying around conveniently using TDY instead of filling vacancy

AA reserves 24 off in 7 can be in a foreign city or domestic city not your base. So this gives AA productivity.
Other airlines give reserves a day off in 7 IN DOMICILE. That's a big difference.

Every other month i'm onreserve for up to 19 days in row. THis month i'm on reserve form 22 June until 6 July. They will send me on trips where I will get 24 off or use one of my moveable days later in July to fix a 7 day problem.

I'm in EZE right now. I had 36 off here. So i'm good for more when I get back.

I really hate the AA reserve.

Is this the new contract AA reserve?!

Most of the new AA reserve has not been implemented yet.

Feb 2014 will start PBS. Which in theory will make reserve lines a little better.

Example: My July reserve sched looks like this:

2-6 on
7-10 off
11-15 on
16 moveable day off
16-20 off
21-28 on
29-31 golden day off

If I do not get a trip during 2-6 and because i've been on reserve non-stop since 22 June-6 July they will/could move my Moveable to give me a 7 day off.

They can fly you into any of your days off.

The Golden days off they must have you back before noon.

For example: UAL or Delta (if I have this correct) with PBS and with their 24 in 7 must be in Domicile looks like this:

6 on
2,3,4 off
6 on
2,3,4 off
6 on
2,3,4,5,6 off


At AA you are supposed to get credit for planned absences (Oops sorry we can't implement that yet)
So if you have vacation on the 3rd or 4th week of monthly bid you don't get credit. I know this sounds knit picky, but it's a bit of a deal.
We are now almost 6 full months past contract implementation.

There are 2 great things about reserve at AA. If you have people avail below you in seniority you can pass to them and wait for a better trip or if several trips are avail you can pick which one you want.
I just got home this morning at 4am. There are 2 people avail tomorrow night one guy is good for a 3 day and one for a 4 day trip. There is a 3 day deep south trip open. So I will have one person tomorrow that has to fly. I almost garantee there will be 2 sick calls today and tomorrow. So I will fly tomorrow the 26th thru the 29ths. I will then probably not fly the 30th or 1st. The July bid starts on 2nd. I will have to fly on the 2nd or 3rd.
So most likely my moveable won't get moved from the 16th of July as I will have had 24 off in EZE (Buenos Aires, GRU Sao Paulo Brazil and or LHR London). And that is how being on reserve from 22 June-6 July rolls.

Feel free to ask anything. As much as the AA experience can suck and I may sound whiny or complaining, I like being on reserve I hate being on reserve LOL. You figure it out!

What I'm really saying is I would prefer 6 on 2,3,4 off 6 on 2,3,4 off.

What is a movable day? Can they just call you anytime they please and say... we're changing that to a different day?

They have to have notified you by noon home base time the day before your moveable.
Most of the time i've been assigned trips that fly into my moveable.

Once your moveable has been moved, say to fix a 7 day problem, it cannot be moved again.

On a 31 day month, you will have 2 moveables.

For those just joining this AA reserve discussion, the way the bids come together you can be on reserve for easily 20+ days in a row. But you only get 2,3,4 days off after. You never get lots of time off.

My understanding UAL DAL if the bids come together and you are on for more than 6 days in a row, they fix it.


If we had a type of reserve line that got it all done at once, i'd go for it. Say, 19 days in a row, you cannot pass, then 12 days off. Then say bid first six days of next month off and you got 18 days off. I'd do that, but we don't have that and never will.

In MIA the best you can get is 1st 6 days off or last 6 days off of the month. And only the senior reserves get that.

But in New York base reserves can get the 1st 7 days off and or the last 7 days off. When I asked the base planners why our MIA and other bases don't get the 1st 7 days off the response was "LGA is a commuter base"

Well, ok then. I'm sorry I asked. Welcome to AA

For what it's worth, at US if you end up with more than 6 days in a row on call, the company gives you an "illegal" day. So you are never on reserve for more than 6 days. Maybe there is a chance we'll keep something similar to this in the JCBA.

I may be off, but I think SWA reserves get 15 days off and can pick up open time on their days off. This allows the aggresive flyers to pick the open time that would normally go to a reserve that does not want a trip. The pilots win because they have more time off. The company wins because there are less open trips that need coverage. Why hasn't anyone duplicated this?

Why give so many days off when you can give much fewer and just have those pilots be on reserve instead and force them to fly if you want?

Honestly we should work on a max reserve 4 or 5 days in a row. Reserve lines should be 4 on 3 off.

Our new contract says reserves will be allowed to pick up a trip on their days off.

This will NEVER happen. Only when CS allows it, and only the ultra senior reserves will get to do this. And it will ONLY be once in a BLUE MOON!

DFW S80 is a large bid status. Maybe on a holiday weekend they will do this (allow reserves to pcik up a trip on their day off) But to my knowledge since Jan 1 2013 NOT ONCE HAS THIS HAPPENED.

Summer vacation at AA is ultra senior. Perhaps it may happen this summer, but only once if that.

Hey 7576FO, would you mind if I PM'd you with some Qs, mostly unrelated to this thread?

Such as...

Whats your favorite color?
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Want to come to my bbq on saturday?

Everyone else gets a meme and I get made fun of??

:(:(:confused:

P.S. How was the routine of milking cows discovered?

LOL....What?

7576,

It hasn't been implemented yet. Coming shortly, and all will be able to do it. Just like everything else, AMR has only implemented what benefits them, on their own timing.

I'm not sure I want to know, but... how?

Are you sure? My guess is, it isn't in the fineprint. My guess is that you will only be allowed when offered by CS. So "Once in a blue moon"

And it is something I am against. Any picked up trip by a reserve will affect that persons actual reserve days availability.

I've worked for an airline before that allowed reserves to pick up trips on their days off. Hence we had a saying "a reserve day is a rest day" meaning you were'nt legal to fly because you flew on your day off.

Here's some real time AA Circus reserve.

I got home form a all nighter yesterday morning. They assigned the guy jr to me an all nighter tonight. He then took 4 hours to call in fatigued. Then someones diverting in a 777. I'm not on a rap, so I can't fly dom to JFK. So they reassign a line holder the FB and put me on a all nighter tonight.

The person they put on a rap for today was only good for 1 day. This is the kind of stupidity that CS displays daily.

For those following along, I did mention I will fly trip after trip from June 22 until July 5.

You do not want to be on reserve at AA.

I will NEVER EVER (Taylor Swift) PICK UP A TRIP ON A DAY OFF ON RESERVE

I can live and save money on guarantee.

I hope AA73 is right, but sadly, it's not in the contract language.

Is there any kind of timeline for the MOU reserve implementation? Technically long call goes away in the MOU but I've been told it is still being negotiated.

And there I was, *****ing about US's reserve system in another thread. AA's sounds draconian at best, not sure how my marriage will handle becoming an AA reserve.:(

Reasonable amount of time?
 

Overall if you live in base on Reserve how is it? Reading all above seems you could hardly commute to reserve.

Also what time does an average reserve pilot tell sked he/she will be at gate when called out??

Last question, how does the upgrade policy work exactly. Is it by equipment in base or system overall or any aircraft overall??

Thanks

I live in base. I have 66 hours so far this month. I am on reserve on the 777. The most senior airplane. Many commute to reserve, they are crazy or fearless.
I have a friend 737 FO reserve. He flies alot, almost every day.

We never tell a crew scheduler when you'll be there. Lots of times you are assigned a trip for tomorrow at Noon to 2pm today. And the traffic in Miami is crazy. So never commit to a time.

Today I was called at 1pm and assigned an all nighter tonight. I got home yesterday morning at 4am.

Upgrade policy? We used to have a mandatory upgrade policy that one year after someone jr to you in base upgraded, you had to upgrade. That was put on hold after Sept 2001. I think it is totally done away with on the new contract.

Reasonable amount of time?
 

Thanks for the answers. So how are upgrades awarded? How often are there vacancies or system bids? What a/c is going junior?

Like any major airline upgrade to Captain is based on date of hire seniority number. Now, some pilots bypass upgrade for better seniority on vacation, monthly bidding schedules and destinations.

At AA anything can happen. New hires can get the 757/767 or the S80 or 737. Until 2014 we still designate you Domestic or International. Our Caribbean monthly bid schedules for the last 7 years have included more and more Domestic flights and layovers.
In 2002 you might fly to Barbados, spend the night and fly home. 2 day trip. Well, now it's more likely Barbados layover (RON, remain overnight) then back to MIA then on to DFW spend the night, then either home on the 3rd day to MIA or you might go DFW to CUN (Cancun) then on to MIA.

I have overnighted in Quito Ecuador and then flown to MIA then on to Boston to spend the night.

It took me 15 years to get to be a 777 FO.

We have a monthly vacancy run. It's for 3 months ahead. So our next monthly vacancy run closes on July 5, we'll know on July 12th if we can change aircraft, seat (FO or CA) or Base for Sept 1. But at AA they make it weird and so the next vacancy run is for Aug 31.

They try to minimize 31 day months. So monthly bid schedules can be July 2-July 31.

February is usually Jan 31 - March 1.

If AA can make it complicated and then not explain it to you, they will.

We each have a monthly standing bid (a list on the computer of what you want)

Preferences they are called

Mine would be

777 CA
767 CA
737 CA
320 CA

777 FO
767 FO ect... you can change your choices whenever.

Not all the airlines run monthly vacancies. Some will wait till they need several Capt's or FO's in a base and then run one.

This is something I like about AA, you can change bases all the time. If there is a vacancy.

Last week they posted the vacancies for Aug 31. It was mostly for 737 CA's and FO's at most bases.

Recently we've had a lot of new vacancies on the 777 due to the 777-300's we're getting.

Hope I answered your queston.

I'm seeing a lot of "At company's OPTION"




Filling of Open Time - Ordera. Sequence Protection Recovery pilots in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.C.4.
b. Aggressive Pick-up - Within three (3) hours of scheduled or rescheduled departure
Aggressive Pick-up is open on a first-come, first-served basis via a mutually agreed upon
process for in base and out of base pilots, in
cluding at Company option, reserve pilots on
DFPs. DFP will not be replaced. Aggressive Pick-up pilots are required to make an on
time departure.
(1) If unable to make scheduled sign in, pilot must advise Crew Schedule of an expected
sign in time that is consistent with an on time departure. In the event the pilot is
unable to make an on time departure, the Company has the option to replace the
Aggressive Pick-up pilot, in
which case the pilot will be handled in accordance with
the Commuter Policy.
c. Pick-up in Base
(1) Regular Pick-up, in Division, including, at Company option, eligible reserve pilots
volunteering to fly on a DFP. DFP will not be replaced.
(2) Regular Pick-up, opposite Division, includ
ing, at Company option, eligible reserve
pilots volunteering to fly on
a DFP. DFP will not be replaced.
(3) At Company Option: Pick-up with conflict,
in Division first, then in the opposite
Division.
(4) At Company Option

I mean I hope you're right, but most likely Reserves won't be able to on a day off, just go pick one off the computer. It will have to be a holiday, and the company (CS) will be at the last minute send out a message that no-one will see until it's too late for a reserve to pick up a trip on his day off.




At Company option, Crew Schedule may split or transfer sequences and/or reallocate
flight legs and commence again,
following steps a. through d. above.
f. Reserve Assignment/Award. The Company shall
select, at its option, one or more of the
following categories. The pilots in the selected categories will be considered in a single
pool for the purposes of this Section
15.L
.4.f.. From this single pool of pilots, reserve
assignments/awards will be prioritiz
ed in the following order: Block,
RPV
and Seniority.
(1) In Division, assign to a reserve without a DFP conflict.
(2) In opposite Division, award to a reserve without a DFP conflict.
(3) In Division, award to a reserve volunteering to fly into or out of a DFP (flying on DFP
paid above guarantee, affected DFPs not replaced).
(4) In opposite Division, award to a reserve volunt
eering to fly into or out of a DFP (flying
on DFP paid above guarantee, affected DFPs not replaced).
(5) In opposite Division, assign to a reserve
without a DFP conflict. If an International
Division reserve is assigned to a sequence in the Domestic Division, International
override will be paid for that sequence.
(6) In Division, assign to a reserve flying into a DFP (up to 1200).
NOTE: Prior to proceeding to steps (g) through (i) below, all remaining open time must have
been offered as premium flying in steps (b) through (d).
g. Co

The new contract in the "Aggressive pick up" section under filling of open time discusses the order, but it's not clear if the reserve pilot will have to wait for CS to allow for pick up on DFP (Day off).


For anyone not AA, AA and APA make the contract language so very very UNREADABLE that they have to have Q & A section at the end of the published contract.
The contract will then reference see Q & A #217 regarding reserves that don't use Lube.

Yep, it's all published in the contract. However, AMR seems to have "programming issues" implementing certain parts of that contract. Coincidentally, those very issues seem to be the ones that benefit the pilots. Shocker, eh?

On another note, did you see that our equity stake is looking like an all stock deal now? (no cash)... BOHICA! :mad:

Greetings from GRU, we were joking on the way down "Hey, this is the New American" think morbid sense of humor.

For anyone that thinks i'm a complainer and do nothing about it. Here's what i've been doing the last week and a half.

One or more new 777 FO's in MIA are not getting a South America IOE or IE as AA calls it. These FO's have never flown anything but the S80 and only domestic for 18+ years.
I watched in the computer as they got a 2 day LAX and then a LHR trip. So I called Prof Std's and then emailed the head of APA training comittee, no response then I called our MIA vice chair who's also a 777 Fo. He understodd but knew it's legal to just get a London trip and be goood to go for So Am & Carrib. Then I called a check airman, he said "give up you're beating your head against a wall" Then I called one of our MIA chief pilots and he said he'd work on it. Well they gave one guy another London IOE instead of So Am. So I wrote the VP of Ops Capt John Hale. HE responded in 30 minutes saying "Thaqnks and he check on check airman availability"

I knew he'd respond. I believe I critiqued him hard and harshly earlier this week. I'll let you know what happens, but I would imagine one email to Flt Training (Std's) and it's done.

So i'm not one that just complains, I act.

Other than my own "Contradictions" ( I wear Contradiction cologne by Calvin Klein) If you get on with AA in the near future, things may be changing. We are going to get a JBCA (new contract) within 2 years I hope and much of the AMR management will be gone.

When I hear of interview processes I will pass on details.

^^ I may be misunderstanding you, but the North Atlantic is much more complicated than the Carib or SA. Going deep South is no big deal.

I was told that for the IOE, they want you on Europe for that very reason... so you can be shown the NAT ropes, and the painful overcomplication that is LHR operations.

I've been flying So Am and Carib since 2001. You are correct that North Atlantic is complicated. However, there is terrain in the Carib and in SO AM there are over 200 peaks above 20,000' Knowing where to go is pretty important.

In March we had a new 777 CA that had never flown So AM. and did not recieve a So Am IOE. He got real defensive when I tried to tell him something. So I stopped trying to be helpful.

There is alot to know about Carrib and So Am. It is not right for me to have to play check airman. I'm willing to offer whatever I can to a fellow pilot, but this is just not right.

Agree totally on the hazards of SA. I guess the issue is this: the guys that run this outfit are a bunch of cheap screws, and won't do two IOEs in different divisions if they can avoid it.

Your CA is a world-class jack-A for not taking input. I've flown recently with a couple of CA's who right off the bat said "I'm new and looking for input." And I've said the same thing as an FO.

I'll never forget a new CA who was also an ass, and he made it known early in the Narita trip. On the leg home, he slowed to 190 knots, flaps and gear, with over 20 miles to go before we even intercepted a 12 mile final. The FB and I (FC) look at each other with a classic "W-T-F is he doing?" look but said nothing. Of course, we got reamed by approach for flying so slowly, and totally screwed up the arrival for everyone else. :rolleyes:

Agree! I am humble and never assume that I know more than I do.

Most all of the Capt's I fly with are great.

For some that are unaware of the Carib,

San Juan, false localizer with approaching terrain.
Santo Domingo High terrain above 11,000'
Nearly all Carib islands have terrain
Santo Domingo ATC gets very very busy
Port au Prince, daylight only terrain and we do not overnight there PERIOD
Jamaica birds high terrain
Grand cayman not in a 777
Barbados, Aruba, Martinique Port of Spain all have terrain
Lots of find Waldo frequencies in South America
Bogota not a big deal in 777 but would be wise to be familiar
Quito, yes LAN flies 777's in there cargo and because i've flown there for a decade, have not been to new airport which is lower 7,100' and long non-puddling runway
Guyaquil is easy but there are curfews
Very few grooved runways south of Miami
Most airports single runway with button turnaround
Many Brazil cities no after hours customs
Carracas Miquetia Good luck they cannot even speak Spanish properly
Lima is now Cat3
Santiago through Mendoza to Buenos Aires, better have an exit strategy

and that is just to name a few "good to knows"

At dinner last night I had a Captain tell me if a pilot can fly into MEX that they can go anywhere. Well, ok then.

My point is sometimes both CA and FO's are defensive and just don't want to hear anything from me. Whereas they might be more receptive to a check airman.

This company like many others are cheap where they should not be. Rule #1 in aviation Safety First!

PS: The FA's found out yesterday that we (AA pilots) now have a dhd policy not tied to them or first come first served.

They are very mad. They are mad at APFA, the Company, USAir and us.

All I ever wanted was a dhd policy not tied to anyone elses drama.

Finnally! But, I imagine they will begin to take it out on us.

Last week on the way to Buenos Aires I was FO and i'm always in the bunk unless it's a daytime flight or coming home form London. Well, FA's never asked any of us, they took our 1st class rest seat on the 777. I didn't notice until the Capt asked me. None of us ever were asked if they could use it.

This is a classic example of the attitude the AA FA's display on long haul.
The FA's by using the pilot rest seat can take longer breaks. They almost always ask if they can use the seat. They probably think it's theirs by now.

Additionally i'm in GRU Sao paulo where we've had male FA's in January this year and again earlier this month get caught smuggling IPHONES into Brazil. One was released form jail last week, the other I saw last night at our hotel. They have not given him his Passport back. Must have a poor attorney.

So on the way down the other night, we were expecting a possible strip search. When we went thru the xray machine in GRU yesterday morning, the head honcho was eyeballing us. But we didn't get searched.

This has been going on for more than a decade that I know of.

I say FIRE the bad AA FA's.

Occasionally i'll fly a LAX transcon on the 777 even then I get some uneasy attitude from the FA's. they run to the front desk at hotel to get the best rooms.

For years we've been trying to get (if the cabin jumpseat is not used by a commuting FA) could we put a pilot in it. The APFA says NO, it is there Jumpseat.

I strongly hope that USAir doesn't put up with AA FA STUFF!

What do you mean by a dhd policy tied to the fa's

Are you referring to the first class deadhead seat policy for cockpit? If so, it's only 40 years overdue.

7576FO, you're a MIA guy, right? I have to say, I have never seen anything close to what you are describing from our DFW FA's. It might be a cultural/base thing. If that's the case, time to set them straight but pack your own lunch.

When I was on the MD-11, the FA's always asked if they could use bunk #2, and 9 out of 10 times, CA says "no prob." I think maybe once they helped themselves, and the CA put them straight.

Zero probs so far on the 777, although I am leery about what we'll see on the 777-300 as we get more of them. That cockpit crew rest area is like a studio apartment; 2 huge bunks and two seats, and also awesomely quiet. I've already had more than one ask to "take a look" at the area. If it's pure curiosity, fine. I haven't had one ask to use it, let alone help themselves yet. If the time comes when they do ask the CA, so long as he checks with us other pilots, it'd be no problem with me.