Commute Protection Question
 

Gents:

I was looking at the contract and it appears that a pilot commuting into a trip on a FedEx tail is only "protected" if he is going into Memphis.

How does this rule not apply to LAX or ANC? Is there something I'm missing here?

Can someone who commutes into these bases shed some light as to whether it's only a Memphis thing or do the CPs have a little leeway to allow us to jump into LAX and ANC trips and be protected as long as we're on a Purple Tail?

Just wondering,

WM

You're correct, it only applies to those based in MEM and jumpseating into the base.

On the other hand, you're not constrained by the 13+30 max duty day rule based in LAX, ANC or SFS and jumpseating into your base.

You are not constrained to 13:30 jumping into MEM either... just not protected by the "no harm no foul rule". I am not saying it is wise to jump in outside of it, but it is not against FAR's anymore than doing it in LAX or ANC.

The jumpseat scheduled arrival time must also allow 1:30 before show time of your trip to be covered. When or if the FAA starts counting J/S time as Duty the "protection clause" goes BYE BYE, it is in the CBA this way. The company will not eat duty for us to commute, because once you check in for your trip, the clock starts at zero, correct ?

I guess you missed the recent e-mail where the ACP said he would remove you from your trip w/o pay if you were found to be commuting up and going over your 13:30

MEM has 1.5 hour reserve call out and airport standby crews.

LAX and ANC have 3 hour reserve call and NO airport standby crews.

If your inbound gets diverted (wx/mechanical/sweep) the company would more than likely have to draft someone to cover the trip.

Hope this helps...

Guess I did miss that one...any time frame on when it was issued?

One of those "scare tactics", I really doubt that has been done. If they remove anyone from a trip, it should be grieved. J/S time is NOT duty. If you miss your trip and are not protected, well that is your issue to deal with your ACP. When they put a chip in our backsides to tell what we have been doing prior to flight duty then maybe you have a "fair and balanced" method of determining fitness for duty.

The simple fact that the company can "account" for your whereabouts when you J/S in gives them no right to pull you from a trip. I will further argue, if they pull someone for being over 13:30, that is evidence that the Company now considers J/S time as duty and when I commute in "legally", my showtime at the outstation J/S is now my duty start time. When crew scheds attempts to extend your duty into operational or FAR limits and you tell them your duty is calculated incorrectly on the FP/R, what do you think the DO will say ? They can't have it both ways, it is either duty or it is not, and is is NOT.

If you show up not fit for duty, that is another story.

The actual problem is with you not being crew-rested for a scheduled long duty day. That's why our jumpseats now show up on our monthly calenders.

Actually it is for you to easily see what you have booked. The company is not removing guys over 13:30 or not having the 1:30 between flights. If they are I would love to hear about it. Big brother is always watching even before the flights showed up on your calendar.

You are implying that just because you jump into a flight over 13:30 you are not rested ? What about the guy that shows up at the folder in MEM (a local) and says" man I just got in from a 15 hour drive home from vacation, have not slept a wink." He did not j/s so he must be rested ? That logic does not fly, either you sow up rested or not, period. If I slept from 3-8 pm at home and take a j/s into work at 10pm for a duty that puts me at 14:30, where is the harm ? If I show up tired. commuter or local guy then you have something to chat about.

Dangerous precedent if we want to claim we need rest before we DH home at the end of a trip, or DH across the pond to start a trip somewhere.

Not trying to sound preachy...we all got a story...but if you just showed up as my captain after a 5-8 hour jumpseat adventure before a 3 leg am out and back, I'm going to be concerned. I want max home time as much as the next guy, but if we dork something up we don't have a leg to stand on.