Alias737

I am just curious about the reserves at UPS. How does the reserve system work? Days on versus Days off? Hours on call?
Thanks

Freighter Captain

Usually the rsv schedules are either 16 days on/12 off, or 8 days on/6 off. Out of a 28 day pay period, you'll be working 16. It sucks, but at least the lines are commutable for the newhires guys stuck with it.

You are on call for 12 or 13 hours straight (can't remember which).

brownwhalerider

13.. A reserve is from 2300 local to 1200 local and B reserve is from 1100 local to 0000 local. We also have CA and CP reserve which is a long call reserve, read nice for commuters. Depending on the aircraft you may work A LOT or none. Being on the 747 I average 13 hours a month.

BWR

EDPM

UPS reserves are also usable for the full 16 hour duty limit. In other words, if you're reserve "B" on which your availability starts at 1100 local, and you're called in for a trip at 2200 (not likely to happen, but this is just an example), you can be on duty until 0300 because 0300 is 16 hours from when you became available at 1100.

The CA and CP can be a good deal for commuters because it's possible to get an extra day at home on the front or back end of your block of reserve days. But you will also be the first to get used whenever something is in open time. If there is something in open time, it gets assigned to the CA/CP before the short call guys (Reserve A and B...90 minute call-out). One ramification of this is that you might find yourself in the sim a bit more than you bargained for. In my previous life, if you were a captain and your FO called in sick for recurrent sim training, you were given an instructor pilot as a seat sub. At UPS, reserves are called in to act as a seat sub.

There are also 4 on 3 off blocks on some fleets, but these (in my opinion) suck if you're a commuter. My personal preference as a commuter is the 8 on 6 off blocks. I'm usually able to trade a day here or there and can make it closer to 7 on 7 off, but not always. Plus, some fleets (like the 747) typically only have 16 on 12 off blocks.

With all of that said, the new contract will no doubt bring changes to the reserve system. The union has already communicated that they are negotiating two additional availability periods (reserve "C" & "D"), and I think they are trying to get 13 days off (up from 12), but until we have a signed contract, any and all of this is subject to change.

EDPM

PAX2Cargo

EDPM,

I was just about to ask what the time call out was and I see you answered it already. 90 minute call out is what I was looking for.

Thanks,
Paxs2cargo
a.k.a UPS Poolie

Freight Dog

The reserve call-out times are a bit longer outside of Louisville:
1+45 in ONT, and 2+00 in the MIA domicile.

Alias737

Thanks to all for the gouge. I appreciate it.
Alias