121 Reserve vs Fractionals 'Reserve'
#12
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2019
Position: Phenom driver
Posts: 147
NJA is reserve. Don’t get it twisted at all. You will life a life on reserve at NetJets. If you live in base, reserve at any major airline will give you better QOL and flexibility. Reserve isn’t fun, but neither is NetJets. So if you are living in base, pick the less suck and go with airline reserve.
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Position: Retired NJA & AA
Posts: 1,907
I've flown for NJA for quite a few years, and also sat reserve both out of base and in base for USAirways. In base reserve can't be beat especially when living 11 miles from the airport like I do. I was also #2 on the reserve list so held weekends off. On "short call" (90 minutes back then) I just kept a bag packed and the uniform on hangers.
Now commuting to reserve is about the worst experience in the airline industry unless you've got a really good deal on a crash pad and some things to do. When I was furloughed and did the flow down to Mesa we only had 4 days off in a 28 day bid cycle on reserve. One friend of mine quit Mesa over that, he had a family that he rarely saw. I was lucky enough to quickly hold a line while I was there.
If you had a choice between an airline job where you knew you'd always live in base, or flying for someone like NetJets it'd be a tough call assuming the pay and upgrade times were equal.
Now commuting to reserve is about the worst experience in the airline industry unless you've got a really good deal on a crash pad and some things to do. When I was furloughed and did the flow down to Mesa we only had 4 days off in a 28 day bid cycle on reserve. One friend of mine quit Mesa over that, he had a family that he rarely saw. I was lucky enough to quickly hold a line while I was there.
If you had a choice between an airline job where you knew you'd always live in base, or flying for someone like NetJets it'd be a tough call assuming the pay and upgrade times were equal.
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2019
Posts: 131
Actually that is reserve exactly. You have your line a month out. You know what days you are working and what days you are not.
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2019
Position: Phenom driver
Posts: 147
I would love to be told hey, here's an airline ticket, you're working for the next 6-7 days, we'll airline you back. My schedule is known, solid, I am at work for the next 6-7 days; not like this waiting until the last minute to get a call, often only on the last hour of the last day because they still can use me, and living on min guarantee.
No comparison.
But yes, in the majors/legacy segment of the 121, reserve must be hunky dory, home on the couch, living in base, tasting bourbons and cigar, while being paid full hourly making a fortune doing nothing. Must be glamorous reserve life, I am sure all pilots are fighting to bid that
#16
Banned
Joined APC: Nov 2019
Posts: 53
Yes, but actually it is a bit worse at NJA. You know your block of days you work, you just have no idea if you will work or where you will go, but you know you will be gone from home. This is all predicated on somebody sitting reserve in base, if you commute to reserve that is always worse 100% of the time. At an airline, you know what blocks you will work because you bid for it, you can bid long call or short call, you can bid call me last so you don't get called unless everyone else gets called. Airline reserve goes senior during the holidays because you can get Christmas or Thanksgiving off. At NJA, you know what days you will work, you will 99% for sure be gone that entire time, you have no idea where you will go, and your schedule changes 20 times a day. It is literally reserve but with less control.
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2015
Posts: 166
But yes, in the majors/legacy segment of the 121, reserve must be hunky dory, home on the couch, living in base, tasting bourbons and cigar, while being paid full hourly making a fortune doing nothing. Must be glamorous reserve life, I am sure all pilots are fighting to bid that
#18
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2018
Posts: 53
Not the same. I know what day I am on reserve, I never know if they use me for a day turn or a multiple day trip, they call me, then cancel me, I travel to sit in a crash pad like a homeless, waiting for a call I may never get, being paid min guarantee, losing 1 to 2 days of my days off on commuting to/from base. That's reserve.
I would love to be told hey, here's an airline ticket, you're working for the next 6-7 days, we'll airline you back. My schedule is known, solid, I am at work for the next 6-7 days; not like this waiting until the last minute to get a call, often only on the last hour of the last day because they still can use me, and living on min guarantee.
No comparison.
But yes, in the majors/legacy segment of the 121, reserve must be hunky dory, home on the couch, living in base, tasting bourbons and cigar, while being paid full hourly making a fortune doing nothing. Must be glamorous reserve life, I am sure all pilots are fighting to bid that
I would love to be told hey, here's an airline ticket, you're working for the next 6-7 days, we'll airline you back. My schedule is known, solid, I am at work for the next 6-7 days; not like this waiting until the last minute to get a call, often only on the last hour of the last day because they still can use me, and living on min guarantee.
No comparison.
But yes, in the majors/legacy segment of the 121, reserve must be hunky dory, home on the couch, living in base, tasting bourbons and cigar, while being paid full hourly making a fortune doing nothing. Must be glamorous reserve life, I am sure all pilots are fighting to bid that
Your still describing netjets life 100% of the time. We just have more “bases.” Many guys don’t know
When they will need to leave their house (some leave the day before to a crash pad/hotel too) because they don’t know when show time will be for day one until 1800 the night before. After that, netjets turns on/off/cancels/sends you to sit at the hotel, pulls you to the airport, sends you back to the hotel, gives you nice trips, takes them away, sends you flying into base for an overnight, then adds a leg as soon as you land so you can’t go home. Litterally it is just about if YOU choose to live near a base with an airline, otherwise even living 8 miles from my base at Netjets, I live on reserve on my days on. And if they don’t fly me, I get min guarantee too, because I don’t get the FDP. On average we fly, but it’s not our choice how much or when in the day
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#20
Banned
Joined APC: Sep 2018
Posts: 378
NJA is reserve. Don’t get it twisted at all. You will life a life on reserve at NetJets. If you live in base, reserve at any major airline will give you better QOL and flexibility. Reserve isn’t fun, but neither is NetJets. So if you are living in base, pick the less suck and go with airline reserve.
We are not an airline.
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