I was wondering how your Reserve system works? The company I work for is thinking of adopting a reserve system "similar to Jet Blue's". This is hapeening in the conjunction of adopting PBS...thanks in advance!

 

How it Works

First understand that the Long Call reserve system is built on the daily excesses in the reserve numbers. On days when we have excess, the excess is released or can be placed on LCR (Long Call Reserve). When we don’t have excess, we don’t have LCR or releases. In order to participate in the long call system, you must commit to four or more consecutive reserve days. The first few days on reserve will allow you to be eligible for long call and the last few days you will be assigned to short call reserve. Here is a matrix that breaks down availability:

1-3 Days Available Short Call Days only
4-Days Available 2 Long Call/2 Short Call
5-Days Available 3 Long Call/2 Short Call
6-Days Available 3 Long Call/3 Short Call

Once you start a block of reserve, you will not be allowed to swap or drop days within that block. This restriction has been implemented to maintain the integrity of the long call system. You can imagine that if we were to allow swapping or dropping of days after a reserve has already had a few days of LCR, it would be very easy to keep the LCR days and drop the Short Call Reserve (SCR) days. Although it sounds like a great deal, the consequences would be to deny the reserve about to start a block of days their LCR opportunity. To maintain the integrity of the system, we need to treat a 5-day block of reserve the same as a 5-day trip in that once you start a trip you can’t simply drop the last day of that trip. If you have started a block of reserve days and encounter a situation that requires intervention(Sick, Emergency Leave, etc.), the Chief Pilots office will be readily available to accommodate your request.

hope this helps!

 

Like he said...overall a very nice system. Much better than others I've had to endure. Many senior guys bid it rather than flying the line.

 

I've been on RSV for the last year at roughly... we'll just say the bottom. The system works great when the spread is even throughout the week. I like to bid 6 on and the plan is to get 3 days of long call. The problem starts when people front load mon-thurs of tues-fri great deal week schedules. But if you start 6 days on and there are 10 available with a min of 4 and 6 are last day you go to work on day one. Make sense? you have to be creative in playing with the numbers. That said including the commute I usually work less than 13 days a month.(notcounting the holidays) It's not too bad, but the skrew potential is high if you don't pay attention.

 

Thanks for the info, In response to your explanation I was wondering about the possibibilty of abuse by the company because we have ready reseve. I'm not sure if Jet Blue has ready/airport reserve. If so is there an instance where they can call you off of long call to sit for the next 5 days in order to keep you close. This may be an issue and would need to be addressed in an LOA if we adopt the system.

 

We don't have ready reserve. They can however transition us off of Long Call to Short Call with 14 hours notice.

 

We had a ready rsv at XJT, they could call you in from long or short but you only had to sit for 5hrs. They could not give it to you two days in a row, and I think that you could only do it 5 days in a month. I have also herd that we may be going to immobile days off on rsv. Or not so immobile
, but you can only trade blocks of days vs. being able to trade single days. Sucks for being able to manipulate the schedule, but it will work better for getting the long and short call days regularly.

 

JetBlue DOES have ready reserve. I think we call it "Airport Standby." I have been called in off short call to sit at the airport. 6 Hours? I don't recall exactly how long.

 

I've heard about it but never seen it...I guess its very rarely used?

 

1 year on RSV... Havn't seen it either.

Should only be 6hrs in length, total rsv "should" not be more than 12 hrs. If your airport sby last more than six hrs you get 1hr pay/hr past 6 on top of the 4:12 credit.

But, it does exist out there in the CS magic book of tricks.