Sluggo_63

I got this email today from Crew Travel:
I've never gotten this email before, even when I had a FC seat scheduled, and all that was available was coach.

Is there anything they can do about it. It makes it sound like I can call them and have them find me a FC seat, but I know all they're saying is "you can call and deviate and find your own FC seat." Right?

The Walrus

5.If a pilot scheduled for a nonstop deadhead over 16 hours on duty, who is not booked in first class, deviates from the scheduled flight in order to obtain first class on another carrier, the following shall apply:
(a) the pilot shall include with his deviation expense report an e-mail from corporate travel indicating that first class was not available on the originally scheduled flight at the time the booking was made; and
(b) the provision of the e-mail in Section 8.C.3.a.v.(a) (the preceding paragraph) shall entitle the pilot to be reimbursed for his deviation ticket up to the full fare first class cost of a direct, nonstop deviation flight on the planned routing, regardless of his deviation bank value.

Intent: This rule is designed to put the pilot in excellent position to obtain first class on long deadheads. The change in priority greatly increases the chance that the pilot will be booked in first class at the outset. If that does not occur, and the pilot wishes to deviate so that he can find first class on another carrier, provision is made to allow that even if the accepted fare for the ticket that was planned is below the actual cost of the first class ticket he buys. This provision is intended for use only for conventional, scheduled airline travel, not, for example, the Concorde, Lear jet, or other specialty air travel. This rule does not apply to emergency replacements under Section 12.D.1.e., nor does it permit an increase in the deviation bank beyond that necessary to pay for the deviation ticket.

With respect to the e-mail notification from Corporate Travel, Corporate travel will only know to send an e-mail indicating the unavailability of first class to the pilot who was originally awarded the trip. If a pilot receives the trip later in the bid period, (e.g., due to the original pilot going sick, etc.,), then the pilot who flies the trip will have to request the e-mail from Corporate Travel if, at the time Corporate Travel is attempting to book his ticket, first class is not available. This only applies to deadheads originally scheduled over 16 hours under the provisions of this rule. The pilot should not ask Corporate Travel for an e-mail in any other situation in which first class is authorized, but cannot be booked due to availability.

Example: A pilot is booked on United to HKG. There is no seating for either discounted first class or full fare first class, so Corporate Travel books the pilot in business class with a reservation to upgrade to first class contingent upon availability. The accepted fare for the discounted first class was $1500, which is the amount the pilot's deviation bank is credited with per Section 8.A.4.c.v. Corporate travel sends the pilot an e-mail indicating that first class could not be booked on his deadhead flight over 16 hours. The pilot deviates, using a full fare first class ticket on a direct flight on Northwest, which costs $2300.

The pilot's total deviation bank for the month normally would be $2,500 ($1,000 for other tickets, and $1,500 for the UA flight to HKG). Assume that the pilot has spent a total of $3,000 ($2,300 for the NW flight to HKG, and $700 for other travel). When reconciling his deviation expenses, the pilot includes a copy of the Corporate Travel e-mail indicating that first class could not be booked on the UA flight to HKG. This e-mail indicates to the travel auditors to increase the deviation bank by $800 in order to pay the NW flight to HKG. This essentially pays the NW deviation flight as a separate transaction, and the remainder of the pilot's deviation expenses are reconciled against a bank of $1,000 (the original bank less the planned UA ticket to HKG). Consequently, if the pilot had spent a total of $3,400 ($2,300 for the NW ticket and $1,100 for other deviation expenses), $100 of those expenses would not be reimbursed, and must be paid by the pilot, just like in the normal situation.

USMCFDX

beat me to it

HIFLYR

Depends of the length of the deadhead if it is over a certain lenght and corp travel does not put you in first or its unavailable you can book first. I am not close to a computer perhaps someone can point you to the section, i know a guy who did a 15k Ticket.

Sluggo_63

Thanks, guys. I forgot that it was over 16 hours of "duty" not "block." I should have reread that section. LAX-TPE comes in at 16:15. I'll look to see if there are any non-stops from LAX-TPE that will work (I already bought a deviation ticket out of another airport, but haven't officially deviated, yet... Thank you Global Travel, the new deviation page on PFC can pound sand.)

The Walrus

Just remember that if you buy a ticket for more than the Eva flt, you will need to save money somewhere else on your line to cover gnd trans in lax and tpe.

USMCFDX

China Air - LAX-TPE - get some Delta miles

Raptor

Are there other catches to this? For example, if the city pair is DXB - ATL and only DL flies it and only has a two class cabin, I've heard that this provision of spending what you want doesn't apply since no 3 cabin airline flies this route NONSTOP.

Also, in the OP example, could you fly DFW TPE with a connection in SFO, or are you only authorized the "unlimited" bank on the LAX-TPE non stop segment?

HIFLYR

Pretty sure that us not true pick any carrier and thier fare becomes your new bank amount. It has to be the same city pair etc. At least that is how it was explained to me by the guy who did the 15k ticket.

The Walrus

The $15000 ticket makes it's own separate bank. Doesn't matter how much the ticket costs.

Any cancelled gnd trans that needs to be covered, ie the ride from tpe airport to the hotel, would have to come out of a positive bank somewhere else on the line.