Denny Chimes

As a new SO, I can't think of a worse situation. Thanks Huck. That will keep me up tonight...uh, I mean today.

FXDX

I got that same basic pairing twice in about 3 months while on B reserve a couple of years ago, except that it went through CID both ways instead of PIA on one and CID on the other.

It kind of sucks to get that on B reserve, so you might want to try to break up a stretch of R days that goes from Sun to Sat if you want to avoid that type of trip on B reserve. At least the legs are short but I'd rather only have two legs per night if possible, even if they were longer. DSM is actually a pretty nice layover because there are plenty of decent restaurants very close to the hotel, a mall about a mile away, and some really nice running trails down the hill along the creek. I actually like DSM a lot.

After the first night or two you are tired enough to sleep through just about anything the hotel maids can throw at you. I wear earplugs and an eye mask and can sleep through just about anything, including the fire alarm. I just hope they don't find my remains some day in the ashes of a hotel that burned down all around me!

Jetjok

It's all a matter of seniority. Life style, quality of life, work days/hours. But I agree that it's better to be junior on the Mad Dog than on the Boeing. They just can't work you that much on the big equipment, because, if nothing else, it takes much longer to download and then upload the freight.

The seniority issue is gigantic, that's why so many guys at FedEx choose to stay in either the back seat or right seat of the 727, or other jet, when they can hold a larger piece of equipment. That, and of course to tick off Jack.

For the sake of contrast between trips, and to show the differences that can be experienced in the same bid month on the same aircraft, I present:

R D Flight ------ Scheduled ------- -------- Actual --------
R Flight H Date Org-Dst Eq Dprt Arrv Blok Turn Duty Dprt Arrv Blok Turn Duty
— —————— — ——————— ——————— —— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ————
HP2779 X 12Nov06 MEM-PHX 1345 1721 336 49 1345 1721 336 49
HP2711 X 12Nov06 PHX-FAT 1810 2001 151 2929 746 1810 2001 151 2929 746
1817 14Nov06 FAT-OAK 27 0130 0216 46 1230 216 0128 0224 56 1222 224
1867 14Nov06 OAK-FAT 27 1446 1540 54 950 1520 1607 47 921
1817 15Nov06 FAT-OAK 27 0130 0216 46 1230 1300 0128 0212 44 1234 1256
1867 15Nov06 OAK-FAT 27 1446 1540 54 950 1551 1639 48 846
1817 16Nov06 FAT-OAK 27 0130 0216 46 1230 1300 0125 0209 44 1237 1253
1867 16Nov06 OAK-FAT 27 1446 1540 54 950 1501 1555 54 932
1817 17Nov06 FAT-OAK 27 0130 0216 46 1230 1300 0127 0210 43 1236 1254
1867 17Nov06 OAK-FAT 27 1446 1540 54 950 224 1453 1546 53 944 230
1817 18Nov06 FAT-OAK 27 0130 0216 46 1239 216 0130 0211 41 1244 211
1867 18Nov06 OAK-FAT 27 1455 1549 54 35 1455 1547 52 35
1867 18Nov06 FAT-PDX 27 1624 1809 145 130 1622 1812 150 100
1867 18Nov06 PDX-FAT 27 1939 2120 141 1650 755 1912 2045 133 1725 720
HP2704 X 19Nov06 FAT-PHX 1410 1548 138 57 1410 1548 138 57
HP2941 X 19Nov06 PHX-MEM 1645 1946 301 706 1645 1946 301 706

---- T O T A L S C H E D U L E D --- ------ T O T A L A C T U A L -------
Away Blok DH Dty Min Trip Totl Pay Away Blok DH Dty Min Trip Totl Pay
===== ==== ==== === === ==== ==== ==== ===== ==== ==== === === ==== ==== ====
17531 1146 4353 17531 1125 4353


Accepted Fares:
HP MEM-FAT F $ 710
HP FAT-MEM Y 1,173
-------
Trip Total $ 1,883
=======

For those of you who can't read our schedules, this trip deadheads to Fresno, then operates in the late afternoon all the way to Oakland, a 27 minute flight. Then it goes to the hotel for 12 or so hours and the next morning it operates back to Fresno, where it goes to the hotel again until the afternoon when it repeats itself, until Saturday, and then it deadheads back home.
Not a bad way to earn a living, if you really don't want to work too hard, huh?

TonyC

You're kiddin', right?


You start out with a deadhead in an America West CRJ 900 -- 5+27 block time is more like 6+15 in the seat. (The last time I took that flight MEM-PHX, they left bags on the ramp because they were too heavy - - in the winter.) (OK, it's not America West anymore, it's US Airways... well, techincally it wasn't and isn't either - - it's MESA.)


Then you put your uniform on ten times in five days, with four legs on the last day.

Then curl up for another 4+39 block in the Canadair torture device.


No thanks.






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Huck

I'm not so sure. They sent me around the world twice, once each way, with 48 hours off in between once. And I'm a commuter...

It took me (and I'm not kidding) 7 days to physically get over that month. Nothing on the Boeing steamrolled me like that.

fecav8r

Damn good thing there's chocolate and vanilla....

TonyC

Oops.


What I meant to say was ...



Yeah, that's a great trip. Lucky you, being senior to me, I guess you'll get that instead of me. Oh, well. I'll just have to suck it up. Great deal for you, though!









[Since we're not in the same seat, this is just me being facetious.]
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Jetjok

Tony,

Actually, I commute out to FAT through SEA, where I stop for a day or two to see friends and go Porsche riding and Kyacking, then its Alaska Airlines down to FAT for the week of work that starts on Tuesday. It's never more than one leg to a hotel, with each leg being no more than 30 minutes. Then on Saturday morning, after a good nights sleep, we leave OAK for FAT and another hotel. I choose to instead, get on a flight out of FAT that goes to LAX, then home. All commercial legs are in first class. As well, each leg we operate is catered. The major problem with this pairing is that you get way too much sleep. and unless you watch what you eat, you could put on a few pounds each week.

By the way, you must live in Mempho. I say this because you guys always take the "scheduled deadhead." Just so you know, there are other alternatives, which can provide better and even cheaper fares, not to mention a better deadhead experience.

As well, let's not forget that I'm not into building flight time (in case I can get hired by an airline), and so I prefer to fly short, one leg flights, in the daytime, that allow me ample rest and the ability to along-the-way, visit with friends. To each his own said the farmer kissing the cow. I only showed this pairing so that Razor could see that there's a big difference is pairing construction at FedEx. By the way, do you like my new Avatar? I'll keep it till my wife stumbles across it, and then it'll have to go.

TonyC

I call it the "stress free" deadhead, and I almost always take it on the front end. If it cancels, if it's late, if it diverts into Timbuktu, I don't care.

In fact, the time that I DID take that flight to PHX, it was very late, the connection was missed, and we wound up on another airline for the next leg (to OAK). We didn't sweat it, because it was up to Control Center Scheduling to arrange the flights. The blood pressure didn't even budge.



Like fecav8r said, and like I said in my "Oops" post, it's a good thing we have different preferences. I've flown the OAK-FAT-OAK "out-and-back" and know how little work that is, even with an LCA looking over my shoulder. However, that trip looks a whole lot like going to work twice a day all week long.


Is there a different kind of trip that we could offer you to persuade you to take that retirement?





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TonyC

It tells me things about you that I did not want to know...









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