For those guys on the 717 in NYC, what's the best way to handle the huge number of EWR pairings next month with super early shows? On reserve so dropping and trading won't be an option.

Got a crash pad in Kew gardens so well positioned for JFK and LGA, but Not sure how I'm going to handle all the EWR next month. Originally I planned to get the occasional hotel near EWR as needed but looking at the bid packet, debating a second crash pad or just moving to a EWR pad temporarily.

 

A new item in the contract is 5.D.3 which reimburses a Short call pilot up to $100 for actual transportation costs if assigned an EWR rotation.

Just hang in your crashpad in Kew. You're only required to be readily available to one of the co-terminal airports on short call. Hanging in Kew definitely qualifies for that. If they hit you with a short call to EWR, take a cab or uber and submit the receipt. Don't sweat it, if it takes 4 hours to cross town at rush hour. You were in position and they know how NYC is.

If you get a long call trip for the following day, I would head down on the train (cheapest way) and then use Priceline to get a hotel. The good news is EWR hotels are traditionally the cheapest of the 3 airports in NYC. You can typically be out the door (Priceline) for a nice hotel for $100-120. If you want to slum it a bit, you can probably save a bit on that. Also, I've occasionally had luck calling the airport Hilton at EWR and asking for the delta rate. It's less than 50-50, but sometimes you can score it for $99 if I remember correctly.

Another option that I've used is going halfway and getting a hotel in Manhattan, near either Grand Central (to grab the airporter bus) or Penn (for the train). Priceline Express Deals in Manhattan are surprisingly cheaper than near any of the airports. Just don't forget to figure in the tax - brutal in Manhattan. If you stay near Penn you can be on the train and down to EWR pretty quickly.

Hopefully sanity will prevail in future months. This is the worst I've seen the bid pack for NYC717, so I would wait a month or two before you go making any big changes in your pad situation. The flying fluctuates widely and you may find yourself reversing your plan in May or June.

 

EWR Marriott & EWR Renaissance are $115 ($136 w/ tax) with the UAL rate. There are other properties around the airport that may be cheaper like someone else suggested however I do personally avoid the Courtyard and Residence Inn of Route 1 & 9, those hotels are pretty gross. Spectacular view of the prison though...

 

The EWR Doubletree (our short layover hotel) has a $72/nt Delta Leisure Rate which puts you out the door around $85ish.

 

This is why I didn't jump on that 717A to NYC. 2 years of this would be quite painful.

 

And this is why EWR has no business being in an NYC "co base". If they want to build pairings out of there, it needs to be a separate base.

 

A lot of us who live in NJ/PA would tend to disagree.

 

They should change the name of the category to EWR717 looking at the pairings.

LIRR to Penn then New Jersey Transit to EWR is a nice comfortable ride. You'll have to get up brutally early to make a 5am or 6am show and grabbing nearby is probably a better bet.

Yup. The folks I've been flying with are very pro EWR.

 

I would think that you would want an entire bid package of EWR trips, which is what a separate EWR base would be.

 

I get that we have to cover EWR, but for a base that is about 70-80% commuter the freaking pairings could be commutable on at least one side. The April bid package was the worst that I've seen.