All 717Bs.

 

Have heard the term 'rolling thunder' a few times, and I think it involves gs but can someone explain it for a newbie? Thanks!

 

When you are on reserve and GS on an off day you get straight pay above guarantee. In addition, for each day you're gone you get a payback day. On the last day of the rotation, you get a partial payback day if you block in at 1430 or earlier, a full PB day and a partial if you block in after 1430. Full PB days then get placed on top of on-call days, partials give you some portion of a day off. You then GS on top of the PB days and roll your schedule to the end of the month earning single pay above guarantee until you have no reserve days left. The key is getting trips that block in after 1430 since you then basically get 2 days off for the price of 1. Only way to do this is to have a drastically short-manned category. No way to really know when the company will fix manning, so there is some risk involved in selecting a 717 (or any other short manned category) with the intent of rolling thunder.

 

You rock Mike, thanks for the explanation!

 

Samsonite! I was way off.

 

Originally Posted by Twister
My pre-drop homework discovered that 717s fly a TON of legs every day, which means lots of ground ops that you DON'T get paid for. Also, they rarely, if ever, actually sit on their reserve tours. I seriously debated about taking an -88 to ATL but in the end the pull of taking a SLC-based plane, which I also think is one of the sexiest airliners ever to be built, won me over


Hey, when I said I thought the 737 was "sexy" I was only talking about how she looks on the outside. Kinda like women. I guess I'm shallow that way...

Thx for the tip on the overhead panel! I'll watch my nugget!

 

I think his point is that you generally work more hours for your 5.25 credit on the 717 than you do on the 73. I would rather spend 4-5 hours than 10-12 for the same pay/credit...

 

The short flights can also have their advantages.

For instance, a trip that pops up short notice as a greenslip to cover a maintenance delay or a crew that is going to time out . . . flying out of the hub on a single 45 minute flight to an outstation, 12 hour layover, deadhead back the next day.

10.5 hours of pay, x 2 = 21 hours of pay for 18 hours away from base.

Many of the non-717/88 trips would be longer, perhaps across the country and back for the same exact pay, not to mention the sea of redeye flying in the bid package.

 

That's true, if/when you can get it!

 

The difference if you averaged every trip in both bid packages is probably less then a hour a day. It's nothing like 4 to 5 verses 10 to 12.