Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Airline Pilot Forums > Major
Delta out of LAX or SLC >

Delta out of LAX or SLC

Notices
Major Legacy, National, and LCC

Delta out of LAX or SLC

Old 01-01-2008, 08:30 PM
  #1  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 141
Default Delta out of LAX or SLC

I have read several posts on reserve and how it can suck to commute to reserve. I'm getting that there are long and short reserve as well and that depending on what platform you get, you could be on reserve for a varying length of time. I'm not hired yet so I'm still just gathering info on all kinds of stuff.

All military background. Even on my current shore duty, I spend a pretty good amount of time away from home on exercises and other travel. I don't have kids yet and probably won't for a few years. I am married though. The wife makes more money in her job than I will as a military reservist plus first year pay at Delta and her family is still in town where we live now so we are planting roots here. "Here" is Reno. I have a good shot at a part time military unit close by - I already work closely with them, but I don't want to be cocky enough to say its a lock - you never know what could happen.

How likely would I be to get LAX or SLC as if I were a new hire?

If I were to get either one of those, Reno has numerous non-stop flights to both LAX and SLC every day on Delta (though I think all the ones to LAX are SkyWest prop flights and most of the ones to SLC are mostly the CRJ). It sounds like from what I have read on other threads that I would be able to do "long" reserve at home because of the numerous flights per day for each place out of Reno. Is this possible? It also sounds like "short" reserve would still require a local place to stay though. Am I getting this right? Obviously if I were based anywhere else I would need a crash pad for anything reserve.

Thanks a bunch, I have been learning a lot.
Cooperd0g is offline  
Old 01-01-2008, 08:48 PM
  #2  
Gets Weekends Off
 
blastoff's Avatar
 
Joined APC: May 2007
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 1,530
Default

Originally Posted by Cooperd0g View Post
though I think all the ones to LAX are SkyWest prop flights
Expressjet ERJ's
blastoff is offline  
Old 01-01-2008, 09:07 PM
  #3  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 141
Default

And I'm still learning
Cooperd0g is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 12:23 AM
  #4  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Archie Bunker's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Brown 747-400
Posts: 524
Default

Originally Posted by Cooperd0g View Post
The wife makes more money in her job than I will as a military reservist plus first year pay at Delta and her family is still in town where we live now so we are planting roots here. "Here" is Reno. I have a good shot at a part time military unit close by - I already work closely with them, but I don't want to be cocky enough to say its a lock - you never know what could happen.
Coop,

If you've read my posts, you know that I'm a big fan of living in domicile, or reasonably close (an hour or so). Assuming that you get hired by Delta, I would talk to the wife about the possibility of moving to SLC. Can she find a similar job there in her profession? Any chance of you getting a reserve job at Hill AFB? Your QOL is going to be so much better living and flying out of SLC. Also, I was domiciled at 4 different bases during my time at Delta, and I thought that SLC was the best base by a long shot.

Originally Posted by Cooperd0g
If I were to get either one of those, Reno has numerous non-stop flights to both LAX and SLC every day on Delta (though I think all the ones to LAX are SkyWest prop flights and most of the ones to SLC are mostly the CRJ). It sounds like from what I have read on other threads that I would be able to do "long" reserve at home because of the numerous flights per day for each place out of Reno. Is this possible?
Coop,

There are a few things you need to understand about jumpseating on Delta, or any other airline. First of all, at Delta you can reserve the jumpseat (on Delta mainline flights only) 4 days in advance if going to work, 3 days in advance if returning from work, and 1 day in advance for any other personal travel. You can't reserve the jumpseat in advance on SkyWest or ExpressJet. What does this mean to you commuting from RNO? It means a lot. It's the difference between having a reserved jumpseat on a Delta mainline jet, or hoping that there will be an open seat in the back, or a jumpseat available on SkyWest/ExpressJet. It sounds like you will be at the mercy of these two carriers to get to work (SLC, that is). Not an ideal place to be, in my opinion.

I commuted from SAN to SLC regularly, and it was pretty easy because I had a handful of Delta mainline flights I could count on to get me there. I used SkyWest a few times from SLC to SAN, and it was hit or miss. I couldn't believe how many times during the summer I was told the RJ was weight restricted, and couldn't take a jumpseater. If this happens to you in RNO, I suppose you could drive to SLC and make your sign in (from long call), but I basically see this as setting yourself up for a painful existence.

Originally Posted by Cooperd0g
It also sounds like "short" reserve would still require a local place to stay though. Am I getting this right? Obviously if I were based anywhere else I would need a crash pad for anything reserve.
Absolutely. You'd need a crashpad or a motel room for short call in either SLC or LAX.
Archie Bunker is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 06:13 AM
  #5  
Line Holder
 
SJF15E's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: SWA Newbie
Posts: 76
Default

Originally Posted by Archie Bunker View Post
First of all, at Delta you can reserve the jumpseat (on Delta mainline flights only) 4 days in advance if going to work, 3 days in advance if returning from work, and 1 day in advance for any other personal travel.

When you say "going to work" does this apply to someone on reserve who is commuting to a crashpad to sit and wait or only for someone who is a lineholder?
SJF15E is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 07:47 AM
  #6  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Posts: 128
Default

Originally Posted by SJF15E View Post
When you say "going to work" does this apply to someone on reserve who is commuting to a crashpad to sit and wait or only for someone who is a lineholder?
No. You can still reserve the jump seat but someone with a trip on their line can reserve it 4 days prior. For pleasure travel (your case) you can reserve it 2 days prior if not already taken. When reserving the jump seat the computer looks to see if you have anything scheduled and then allows for the reservation or not. On reserve, short or long call, the computer assumes you're already in your domicile.I'm on international reserve in NYC and commute from Chicago, I don't mind commuting because I am living where I want. In my opinion if you're spouse wants to plant roots near the family, that is the best reason for commuting. Her long term happiness is very important. I average less time away from home as a reserve than I would as a line holder even with commuting to short call and I have never had more than 4 short calls in a month. The negatives for me are less control of your schedule and flying mostly junior trips. I would rather be a junior international reserve than a mid pack or senior 737 or MD-80 domestic pilot.
sully606 is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 08:16 AM
  #7  
Super Moderator
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: DAL 330
Posts: 6,851
Default

Coop,
Right now SLC and LAX are both options for new hires. LAX just closed a 767-400 domicile but opened a 767ER and a 737-800 domicile so there is ample opportunity there right now. The 737-800 category listed about 40 FO openings and only about 25 guys took it. There is also another bid scheduled for February - bottom line both LAX and SLC are possible assignments for new hires. Commuting to reserve in LAX would be tough on the 767 without a crashpad and a car since you cover 3 airports (LAX,ONT,SNA). The lines have not been published yet for the 737 but I believe it will start out in LAX and then eventually cover all 3 airports, but for now that will be your best choice for 2 reasons, initial airport coverage and seniority.
As Archie said commuting on connection carriers is very, very hard – Southwest would be a much better bet if they fly from Reno to SLC and LAX. I used to commute from SAN to SLC also and it was tough. The crews for Skywest were great and would always go out of their way to accommodate me but the gate agents were hit or miss. The problems were – you couldn’t reserve the jumpseat and even if there were seats you could be weight restricted. Even then some pilots would make it work if you could penetrate the bureaucracy and talk to them. Maybe this wouldn’t be a factor on the shorter Reno flight – perhaps some of the Skywest guys could help you out on that one. Also if Reno only has a few connection carrier gates it does not hurt to develop a friendly relationship with the gate agents.
You could sit long call (12 hours) in Reno but would have to be in the LAX or SLC area for short call. They will give you a minimum of 10 hours notice that you will be placed on short call and you have about a 2 hour response time on top of this so you will have time to position yourself for short call in either case. Short call is generally considered to be 2 hours although the wording is much more ambiguous, something like “readily available” but everyone uses about 2 hours and it’s not something you would want to test on probation.
Good Luck - Scoop
Scoop is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 08:34 AM
  #8  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 302
Default

When you are on reserve on DAL, do you bid for your long call/short call days? Or are they assigned to you? I thought I read somewhere they can short call you up to 8 days a month, is that typically how it works?
groundstop is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 12:22 PM
  #9  
Super Moderator
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: DAL 330
Posts: 6,851
Default

Groundstop,
For now we bid lines of time for reserve. In the future we will shift to PBS for reserve. So for now you will get about 18 days of reserve, mostly in 4-6 day blocks with about 3-4 days off in between. These all start out as long call. The day prior the next days short call is assigned - this allows commuters to get into position. You can request a short call but its totally up to the schedulers as to which and how many pilots are on short call each day. Genrally they use historic data to figure out the requirements but I heard some guys claim it is more like vodoo. Anyhow 8 is the maximum number of short calls. I had 2 in December. Since I live within short call distance (normally considered to be about 2 hours from call to sign in) I sit short call at home. If your short call starts at 0300 so does your crew day. So if they call you at 0800 you already would be through 7 hours of your crew day (5 from on call plus 2 hour response). And at 1500 you would start 12 hours rest. All in all long call is much better - you can still drink beer, run a marathon, or go surfing. This is a basic explanation and does not cover every possible contingency.
Hope this answers your question.
Scoop
Scoop is offline  
Old 01-02-2008, 01:24 PM
  #10  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 141
Default

Archie, Sully, and Scoop, thanks for the good info. Archie, I hear you on the commuting, but I'm going to go with Sully on the keeping the wife happy. She would have to start over at a new location and get a pay cut of about 50% and work her way up as well. I like the Navy, but there are a few reasons I'm getting out. Some are internal Navy things that I don't want to do or like, but another big reason is that the constant moving will kill my wife's career.

I have some retired friends in LA so I might be able to rent a room from them as a crash pad (I used to visit them a lot before I was married anyway), which would work out great for me if I were able to get based at LAX. 767ER sounds like something I would be interested in as well. I didn't think about the smaller affiliates so I'm glad you guys passed that info along. Yes, Southwest does have direct flights between RNO and LA and SLC. I'm not sure how many each day though, but it sounds like I would be able to use them to commut to lines or short call reducing my own time away. I also didn't think about the multiple airports in LA, I figured it would be just one so it makes sense needing the crash pad and a vehicle like you said.

This is all hypothetical since I still have a few months before I can even apply, but the knowledge helps me figure out my options so I really appreciate it.

By the way, will Delta interview people who are finishing up their active duty or do you have to wait until you are out completely? Friends at Southwest were interviewed still on active duty provided they had their resignation in, but friends at FedEx had to wait until they were done with active duty before they could get an interview.
Cooperd0g is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
spinproof
Major
13
04-19-2006 07:06 AM
Sir James
Major
0
10-16-2005 09:14 AM
geshields
Major
2
08-16-2005 03:00 PM
UNDflyboy
Major
0
07-19-2005 02:24 PM
Sir James
Major
0
04-13-2005 10:13 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices