Heck, I got a 1 day SC going into a golden day. So I'm done at 1200. My SC started at 0900. I got a 2 hr commute to show at 11 and done by 1200.
Just commuted home from a trip and get this SC assignment at 1600.
Nothing in open time and good coverage and no WX.
They do it b/c they can. We need rules that protect us from this.

 

I'm repeating myself, but I got a 1-day SC into a Golden Day, 0500-1200. Got a 1145 sign-in, trip ended at 2030 that night. Commuted home about 2 in the afternoon on my Golden Day because all the flights were full and I happened to book the jumpseat for that flight.

 

The most predictable part of SC is that they will ALYAYS give it to you on your first day back from days off. I guess they want to shiv anyone who doesn't live in base. Fortunately I live in base but I feel for those who don't.

 

What we have now is very similar to what you described. I like that we can put our preference in for what SCs we would like if we have to have SC; and that if we want SC we can ask for it. As has been mentioned, what really takes away from these improvements is that the schedulers have taken a new tactic of using almost all available pilots for SC once they've assigned open time trips out for the next day. So even when you've done 3 SCs (in bucket 2 for the SC buckets), and have done enough flying to be in the higher RAW bucket than anyone else, and are senior to everyone else you can still expect to get assigned SC because you have a pulse. Just having one day of availability remaining doesn't necessarily mean you're going to escape the long line of SC pilots. What sucks even more, IMHO, is when you've maxed your SCs, and you're in the highest bucket, just finished 4 days of flying and because you can't be assigned SC they give you a trip with 13 hrs notice while a pilot with the same availability is assigned to sit his second SC, and has done less than half the flying you have and is considered untouchable because he's a SC asset for the following day. Crazy system. The schedulers, at least in ATL M88 B, have in effect, negated the benefits of the new reserve system by maxing out SCs. And going to 7 SCs will further undermine it.

 

Changed our lives, our kids' lives and our industry forever.

 

I think the bottom line on SC's is exactly as you guys suggested: they give you a bunch, because they can. And they're glad they can, because they prefer it. A SC Reserve is more available and more useful to the company. This is particularly true in an international category, with the [deleted] 24-hour SC.

If the contract allows X SC's a month, expect to sit that number. Anything less than that number is probably some sort of a slip-up, or a conservative guess: they have to spread SC's throughout the month, so they don't want to burn them needlessly. So they end up a little under. That's it. Anything less than the max number of SC per month falls under the category of wishful thinking, because any number less than the max means the company is failing to maximize their contractually alloweable number of SC.

If you consider that SC are a company benefit under the contract, you just need to accept the fact they're going to try to tap that (and you). And the best way to make sure you're even more useful to them, is to start with a SC on day one.

I think there are a lot of things that can still be improved on Reserve, including daily credit equality, but I'm under no illusion about the program: it's designed to have me 1) flying, or 2) ready to fly on SC, except when on X-days.

Another point to consider: it's going to get worse. With up to 2 additional days off per month in the low season, people will get to stay home two days, but that distributes the flying across fewer pilots that are not off. That makes it even more likely that one will sit on SC and/or fly. And then, when SC goes from 24 hours to 12, we will get even more. Adding a 7th day of SC is not an academic consideration: We will sit an extra day on SC.

If we consider that the company sees a LC the way they see credit (rig) time, then we understand how SC works. Their purpose is to reduce the number of times you're hanging out on LC, and zero LC is their holy grail.

 

deleted..........

 

What is the name/contact info for the service that texts/emails when a trip comes open in open time?

 

While we are talking SC improvements how about we make the long call call out 14 hours between 4pm and 8pm. That way if they call you out last minute you have a better chance of making it there and you are well rested. This would help the in-base guys by giving them more green slip chances and the commuters on reserve would get a little more breathing room. I have talked to a lot of guys that have a two hour window or so where its really dicey to get there for a 12 hour call out.
I

 

This is true. Having a fairly frequent flight schedule between MEM and ATL it is still dicey around 6pm as the last flight leaves at 7. Of course I have the holy grail of commuting...The purple army can get me there in the middle of the night or I can make the 6 hour drive. Really wouldn't want to do that though.

I bet we never see a 14 hour call out though as they seem to not like the 12 hour one we have now.