What are you guys doing at Flops? Netjets? XO? Do you have days that ops just require you to sit standby at the airport with no trips? After you fly for the day do you have to sit standby at the airport until you get released to the hotel?

 

Here, at Flexjet, standby can occur at any time. For example, if it's a slow day, they may just have you go out to the FBO and do a six hour standby block. It'll never be more that. Sometimes, after flying a few legs, you'll finish up with a few hours, or more but never more then six, to finish off the day. Sometimes a little standby is welcomed as it has been very busy this year. Most FBOs have really nice facilities to hang out in, grab a crew car to go eat or even bum around if you wish. But, if the company comes calling, you just have have to be airborne within a hour. A recent change they've made here is that you are no longer required to be at the airport for standby. This mostly applies for when they give you a block of standby, say at 6am. You can stay at the hotel so long as at least one crewmember goes out to preflight the plane at the beginning of standby, after which he can also go back to the hotel, and you can assure that you can be airborne within an hour if they call you.

 

At FO they usually put us on duty at the hotel. We then have 90 mins from their call to be wheels up. However I have ended up with only 1 standby day during the last three months. Several times it has been scheduled but by morning we have trips. Very rarely do we do standby at the FBO unless we have flown already that day. I don't even remember the last time I had to go out and just sit at the FBO.