What's your solution? How do you think guys should prepare for that STBY period when called at 1930? Immediately hop in bed, immediately fall asleep?

Good question. If I knew there was a chance that I would be called for duty on a.m. reserve, I would be fast asleep (or trying) at 1930 and would be ****ed if CRS disturbed my slumber. Maybe that's why I don't do reserve...I prefer the known crappy trip to the unknown crappy trip.

Exactly the point. If you are pulling AM reserve you might prepare one way. If you are doing an AM stby you might prepare another way. When you are doing both it is easier to prepare with more notice of the stby vice less. Seems obvious (and safer) to most of us.

My point is...if you assume you are going to be used (assigned a trip or airport standby) during your upcoming reserve period (duty) and you prepare for that, it doesn't matter what kind of notification the company gives you. You will be rested and prepared because you have taken the responsibility as your own. You don't have to "hope" the company does something nice. They are nice to me once a year when they buy my X-mas dinner in Hong Kong or Shanghai.

more devil's advocate
 

I am not going to argue that standbys don't suck, flying at 3am doesn't suck, out+backs don't suck, reroutes don't suck, etc... But anybody here not know that's what they were signing up for at the interview? Double edged sword, people don't take it upon themselves to try to be rested (note I said "try", I know sometimes it doesn't happen) for RA, intl, whatever, maybe it ends up being a negotiation and even arbitration for company to argue for shorter duty days, but more of them. Anybody want regional number of days off?

They need to make the decision to have a standby sooner, like they used to. The SCP said in a recent meeting reserve utilization was still low, so this shouldn't cost anything.

Yes, there is a free (or nearly so) way to ensure safety during some of our most challenging flying. Too bad it's not company policy any more. Got to try and save another .5 hrs on the line average.

On a different note, news accounts indicate Colgan (Buffalo crash) might get hit in the jimmies for their allegedly poorly enforced policies on rest. IMHO, the FAA's blind eye may bite them. This is what you get when are too cozy with industry. Let the finger pointing begin.