What would be really great is if there was good incentive to have local pilots take the short call, leave the long call for those that live further away. Or allow the commuter to just fill up on the required short-call further ahead of time in one block. Would make crashpads unnecessary.

 

I'm all for your first recommendation, since I think it benefits all involved. But I don't understand your second proposal.

 

I bid reserve, I live 20 minutes from the airport. I can’t think of any reasonable incentive that would make me want to bid short call and leave long calls for the commuters.

 

Shortcall counts as a credit day of 5:15. It really is kind of a joke that we only get one hour.

 

$$. 1 hour above guarantee for each period sat and not used. Would you take it then? That's also an incentive/protection for not over assigning it each day.

Essentially, shortcall is a day trip, and it would be better as a commuter if you could make it a one and done long commutable stretch. At some carriers, when you get switched from long to short call, it is done in a block of reserve days. Lets say max short calls in a month is 5. You get assigned prior to a 5 day block of reserve that you have been converted/and credited for your shortcalls for the month for that period. This essentially means you have to commute into base once per month due to short call. This really benefits commuters who are within 12 hours, but not 2 hours. As it is now, you can try to do this via yellowslip, but it doesn't always work out. This could mean you may have to fly in on day 1 for shortcall, if not used, go home and possibly have to go back again on day 3/4/5 to sit again. And it seems that the company loves to put 1-day buckets on SC for obvious reasons, and it makes it frustrating that every reserve stretch earns a commute, whether there is flying or not. Done the other way, use one stretch per month for shortcall, the rest you can sit at home if your in the >2-<12 commute, and only go to work to fly.

 

United pays 1hr above reserve guarantee for unused SC. Locals request SC all the time.

 

Make it 1 hour above guarantee, used OR unused, and I'd bid them frequently.

 

This^^^^^^. The way it works now you get 1 hour credit toward the guarantee if not used. Well guess what? If you sit a bunch of Short calls and don't get used the odds of you making guarantee are pretty slim. Its something, and better than what we had - but not by much.

Or separate reserve lines consisting of SC reserve and LC reserve that you can bid for. SC reserve would pay more - I think Alaska has something like this.


Scoop

 

So the junior guy gets a few extra hours at the new hire pay rate and a full month of short call. Im not sure that pig will fly.

 

You do realize all categories have reserves. Including 777A. No new hires.