FDX vs. UPS Commuting
 

I've heard great things about FDX regarding commuting flexibility. Paid deadheads, credit card points for deadheads, etc. I've not heard as much regarding UPS. Can anyone with knowledge give a reasonable breakdown between the two and what they have to offer? Is one better than the other? If it helps, I live in ATL.

Not credit card points, airline miles. Many of us pick an airline and fly with them as much as possible. I get about 200,000 frequent flyer miles with American to fly my family around a year.

Basically the same. All DH's in bid pack must be commercial tickets of which you can deviate, collect the miles (full Y fare), or bank 65% of the cost index of that DH for use on other commercial flights. You can't use that bank for personal use. How much you DH depends a little bit on fleet and what you choose to bid. We have some commuter protection language that protects from disciplinary action but you are not pay protected. We have an online JS booking system for company flights that allows you to book 13 days out. It's first come first serve and you are guaranteed that seat if you book it unless the company has a last minute DH. It's rare to get bumped but it does happen (ANC SDF for example).

Thanks, gentlemen. FT, can you give an example of what it means to "bank" 65%? I'm not familiar with the concept.

At UPS, each pilot has his own "travel bank." If you had a commercial DH leg that had an index of $1000 (this is the most UPS will pay for that ticket on that leg), and for some reason you didn't use the commercial ticket, you would get to "bank" 65% of that amount in your travel bank. In this case, $650 would go into your travel bank, which you could use at a later time.

Another example: let's say I'm ANC based, and my first leg on a trip is a commercial DH from ANC to HNL. The index for that commercial ticket is say...$1000. I live in San Diego, and would rather skip the commute to ANC, and fly direct from SAN to HNL. I can do this, but if the ticket on Hawaiian Airlines is $1300, I would have to make up the difference ($300) out of pocket. However, if my travel bank has $300 or more in it, they will automatically deduct that from my bank, instead of my paycheck. It's always nice to have some spare change in your travel bank.

Thanks, Arch. Crystal clear. Exactly what I was looking for.

Interesting, keep in mind anyone looking for employment at Hawaiian will be faced with no commuter contract language at all. This airline is still in the dark ages when it comes to some of the more modern concepts of aviation and employment. Not to worry, our brand new Dell panels and LIDO plates will certainly bring us into the 21st century.