Great discussion on base and reserve strategy. I have learned a lot. One last question would be if while on reserve you live a 2-3 hours hours away, how many actual days per month are you on duty so you have to stick close by, and how many days off.? Just approximately. I live 200 miles from several bases, but in one base have family and friends that might let me turn a room into crash pad ??

You are given 11 days off on reserve... there are various ways to game the system to increase that or steal days during the blend. Suffice it to say that you are only going to have 11-12 days off while on reserve and not much more than that for Rd 2. You also don't have much schedule flexibility on either; some would argue that reserve give more flexibility, and depending on your situation reserve can be better than Rd 2. Shacking up with friends will save you crashpad rent which is somewhere in the 200-300 range. With the exception of that -- being equidistant from bases I would bid the most junior and take the benefits of relative seniority.

Obviously I'm a bid for seniority type, different people have different priorities. That's the cool thing about PSA's system; if you don't like it change your bid and a few months later your new wish comes true -- as long as you are senior enough to hold it.

Good perspective, I like it. In coming year with growth, and the fast hiring on new FO s like me, how do you see CVG vs CLT as far as decreases in reserve time and getting line. Thanks for all the good input

So, is a two-leg commute more difficult using non-AA airlines? What is the boarding priority for standby cabin or jumpseat?

(If DCA is still the quickest way to R1 after I complete training I could two-leg through CLT on AA-owned metal or two-leg through ATL on other airlines. The advantage of using ATL is that it appears to have more daily flights to DCA.)

Regarding this discussion, how long is a typical reserve day?

For example, is it something like a 6am show and you sit reserve (assuming this isnt hot reserve) until 2pm and then are released for the day?

can you give an example of "reserve life" in a typical week.

Thanks,

It really depends, I two-leg on UA operated flights and very rarely have an issue. Generally speaking, it goes by time of check-in for off-line pilots so you will be beneath all employees who work for the airline you are jump-seating on (including their express carriers).

Try to find a friend who works for a Delta carrier and can clue you in on their loads and then you can make a decision when you commute on which route will give you the best chance to get to work.

This is the second week of training for me so if anyone needs the gouges for indoc and systems, just pm me.

Here's some extra info about the hotel situation. No one is at the Clarion or the Best Western, we're all at the Crowne Plaza in downtown dayton. The rooms are nice but the accommodations aren't great. There is isn't a continental breakfast and you have to pay for the bag lunch. All the food places surrounding the hotel are trendy and expensive. The nearest grocery store is ten minutes away and good luck getting the front desk or van drivers to help you. The nearest laundromat is a half mile away as well. The rooms don't have microwaves. The staff has treated my classmates and flight attendants as if we're a burden on them. If you have a car, you shouldn't have any issues. But for someone like me from FL with no car, the accommodations aren't great. So just a heads up for those of you coming in.
We do have a crew room assigned to us but the hotel staff won't let us have a skillet in there. They actually took a skillet a flight attendant bought and left in there for anyone to us. The staff took it and threw it out.
PSA and the people have been awesome. The hotel situation just isn't great.

Believe it or not, you're in that hotel because PSA cares about your comfort and safety. The January 16 class started in the Clarion, but was moved to the Best Western on short notice due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the Clarion. PSA is trying to find suitable, long term accommodations. However, it's not easy to find a hotel that can adequately serve the daily needs of almost 100 airline employees. The Best Western is recently refurbished and the staff are great. But the hotel has only one van and no real kitchen. I've heard that PSA may be negotiating with the Hampton Inn.

I don't think he ever said they didn't

Anyhow I got moved to the Crowne. The Clarion may have a been a real crap hole but if you were tight on money, breakfast and lunch were provided, the van drivers would take you most anywhere and cheap food options were close by, like walking distance close by.

I totally agree the Crowne was not very friendly at all.

We all realize PSA is doing the best they can. It's a tough situation for all of us. I'd take these growing pains over no growth. We've advised the training department of the issues.
Downtown is not safe at night by yourself. I had three guys follow me for a block and ask if I was selling weed. The homeless people constantly ask us for money.
I want people coming in behind me to know what to expect to make their adjustment easier, or maybe they'll have some ideas on how to improve things.
I feel bad for whoever has the responsibility of figuring out how to house 100 trainees because of how difficult that must be.
Hampton Inn would be awesome because the one Hampton down here is next to a super Walmart, 20 chain type restaurants and it's only ten minutes from the airport.