You can get 15 days off here on reserve too. Even more with 30/168 conflicts

-ALV below 77 (happens a lot due to TLV)
-extra X day ( hit or miss)
-31 day month (half the bid months)

I know it’s not every month, but it’s still better than other legacies appear to be. I’m pretty sure WN also only does short call, which would be a hard pass for me.

 

I’m aware, which is why I qualified my statement with “For a local”.

I would argue you did NOT work 17 days, I was just citing your logic to illustrate the point. They may not be fully days ‘off’, but unused Res is 100% not work.

As someone who has successfully rolled a lot of thunder in my time,I would also argue you are missing the point about additional time off. Several people have pointed out that taking a two two day GS before a three day stretch with a guaranteed trip absolutely results and less time worked, as the two PB days would knock out the last day of that three day stretch, as well as the first day of the stretch after that. PB days can be very useful in breaking up or truncating reserve stretches and making one much less available to be used.

 

agreed. We should aim to make reserve not as a punishment for being junior, period. Before last yr, lots of wba chose to bid reserve for $$ or whatever reason. Nowadays, it is almost a clear line in the sand that junior guys got stuck with reserve. We need all the tools available to make reserve less sucks, and create a better qol for the whole pilot group.

 

Before pre-posted REST and PB day games, I was only a RES bidder. As you mentioned, RES is not intended to be junior. For some reason, people like to perpetuate that stigma!

 

I'm contemplating bidding a line for the first time in years. (NYC local)

 

Yep, it’s gotten really bad. Went 9 years of straight reserve. Bid a line in April and just submitted my line bid for May. Hopefully it gets fixed in section 6.

 

You’re so hard up about reserve not being ‘work’, but it’s disingenuous to the extreme. You absolutely are under obligation to the company on reserve days, and that is your work. Sure, you can mow your lawn around callouts, but by your own admission, you are not free to do whatever you want.

Someone saying they only ‘worked’ 5 days per month when there were on long call for 17 days is tantamount to lying to people who don’t understand the nuances of the lies you’re pushing. Why are you so insistent that you’re not ‘working?’ You absolutely are. You’re fulfilling the obligation that the company expects of you, whether you are flying a plane or not. Whether it “feels” like work to you is irrelevant and it is so absolutely bizarre that you insist on pushing this narrative that you’re not ‘working’ while on long call. You may be taking advantage of down time while on the clock, but that is not the same as being off work. Stop lying to people.

 

He doesn't seem to get that if they don't assign him short call for that day he gets "off", he has already been working since 8 am manual trip coverage 2 days prior without getting assigned a trip. Simply because he can pop a beer at 6am if all goes right doesn't mean he didn't complete 2 days of schedule availability prior to that without being assigned anything to allow him to enjoy that beer. His continuous harping on how it isn't work is old for sure. I'm sure management would gladly reduce his reserve guarantee for any unused days, since he feels he didn't work and all.

 

I don't really consider LC "working" either on days that I go unused. Its kind of like "Quasi" work. We might work - we might not. We are paid to be available. This does come with an obligation on our part, but having an obligation does not necessarily mean working. I wouldn't describe it to a non Pilot as being "Off" all month either. It kind of like a Professional on retainer - we are paid a fixed amount to be available if needed. I am a commuter and so I absolutely consider SC work, but LC is kind of nebulous.

Scoop

 

I don't want to come across as the grumpy old man that I am, but I've been here since 1997. Reserve rule improvements are THE #1 improvement to our PWA over the years. I don't expect a fairly recent new hire to even know all that that (just I cared very little about PWA reserve rules from the late 1960s!). However, we have made reserve suck less--far less--over several PWAs. In far earlier years it was absolutely inconceivable that anyone would ever bid reserve on purpose. Now it is quite common.

That said, any reserve system is palatable if staffing is good, and there is even over-staffing. Every reserve system, no matter how good, is going to be a pain if we are seriously understaffed. Throw in the current regime over in crew resources, playing fast and loose with the PWA, and I can see why a lot of us are up in arms about it.