How's the commute on AA?
 

How is the commute for an AA pilot compared to a regional pilot?
It always seems like there are more commuters at the mainlines compared to regionals. Many AA folks I've talked to seem to have an easier time manipulating their schedules for less commutes per month.
Some say they are able to move 4 three days into 2 6 days.
Provided a person can get off of reserve what are my chances of only making 3-4 commutes per month vs. what is usually 4-5 at my regional .
I'm sure a lot depends on equipment/base so I am talking about typical shorthaul and maybe some insight to when a person could hold long haul .

The commute at AA could get a lot better... Doesn't look like it though.

It all depends what the future airline does and what happens with the rest of the world. Meteor strike, China eats Taiwan, the Spratelys and sinks the Vinson and the Lincoln, Ebola Part III wipes out 900 million, ect, ect.

Barring the above, with a modest growing stable company and you are hired today, your commuting style will require you to become senior in the FO widebody seat and staying there. Narrowbody? The commute for a long time is probably the same as the Regionals. If you get senior to grab a schedule with decent turns, then you can drop and pick up to improve your schedule.

The wild card is PBS, who knows what will happen, nobody knows. Another wild card is future home basing and system wide trip trade and pick up. These are unknown also.

The good news is if things keep going ok, the retirements go hog wild at AA after 2020 or so. Seniority makes life easier.
The past is no predictor of the future. Narrowbody reserve was the norm for 15+ plus years. Now it's going more junior.

Commuting at LUS is cake with our Jumpseat reservation system. One we go the way of AA, the commute will get infinitely more difficult with a more senior pilot able to bump you off within ten minutes of departure. There will be one guy who won't worry about that though.

Cue the response of "We have always done it that way" and "seniority has to count for something".

Last I heard the US Jumpseat system should prevail or that's what I thought.

even if we keep the airways style it sucks that most AA planes only have 1 jumpseat where most of ours have 2.

Also at legacy AA can you be bumped off the jumpseat for a weight restriction?

Yes.

Also, I was on an AA j/s recently. Captain was formerly on the J/s Committee. He said "AA will NEVER give up seniority for the j/s. It's not going to happen so don't even think it will." He was pretty emphatic.

I thought the proposal of the hybrid reservation system was reasonable, whereby 7 days to 48 hours prior is seniority based, and 48 hours to departure is first come first served. And certainly we need to keep the language that prevents you from being bumped for weight and balance concerns. Make it so.

I've got to plead ignorance on this, but what does "bumped due to weight and balance considerations" mean at AA?

I know on the RJ, you can get into a situation where the JS can't be occupied. You need a lot of ballast to get back in CG, but when you try that, you will be overweight.

I'm assuming that in the context you guys are referring to, "weight and balance considerations" means something else. Could someone enlighten me?

I haven't been in this situation, and in fact I haven't read the exact language myself, but as it was explained to me, you can't be bumped off a mainline jumpseat if the airplane is over weight or out of balance. They'll bump revenue pax or cargo first.

It might seem counterintuitive, but I believe this is to the company's benefit, because it reduces the incidence of stuck or missed commutes. Pilots get where they need to be on a reliable basis. So if they really want to get rid of this system, then #whatevs.

I see...

I guess the RJ is an edge case. The 50 seat CRJ has a crazy forward CG to begin with, so bumping pax probably wouldn't do any good.

It is rare, but it definitely can happen. I have always done my best to get jumpseaters on, but when it doesn't work, there's not a thing we could can do. I know our company would not be cool with bumping pax-but I doubt it would fix the situation with CG most of the time.

In my opinion, the first legacy that starts home basing will reap huge rewards. Rather than having to send out reserves and risk the possibility of running out and cancelling a flight, it would certainly seem that a positive space pass at the beginning and end of a trip would be the way to go. Just think of how many reserves get used because of commute problems. Positive spacing would be a whole lot cheaper than hundreds of more reserves.

Maybe this retirement boom will become pronounced enough that some majors finally start doing this. I think it would be a great way to attract good pilots and it would save the company money by not having to cover hundreds or thousands of instances of commuters not being able to make it.

In the next few years, airlines are gonna have to start being creative (I hope.) Let's hope this is one way they do it. I really think it would be a "win" for everyone!

^^^ that's the far more likely scenario.

What the CA said to the poster two posts above is more likely a reflection of his own opinion rather than what will probably happen
Fwiw, I am in favor of the USair system but with seniority for maybe the first 4 days and then reverting to fcfs.

No longer on the JS committee? Why? Was he too close-minded? :D

If you book the jumpseat they will remove pax before you. You're basically guaranteed that seat if the flight operates.

It's beyond insane the AA guys won't even consider our way.

A hybrid system would be a stupid compromise IMO.

On a side note, any word on if we will have priority in the back regardless of who operates the flight? I heard that AA has priority on any Eagle codeshare flight in back, regardless of carrier. IE Mesa, SkyWest, Republic, etc.

I haven't heard anything official that the js reservation system is going away. If it does, we sure are morons. Our pilot group has no one to blame except ourselves....