Positive space to work?
 

With the shortage getting worse, anyone think the regionals will start a positive space to work program? I know most have a commuter clause but thats still pretty stressful. If they bought your ticket to an from work like a lot of the cargo companies I know I'd me more willing to go back to work for them.

Highly doubtful. 9E comes as close as you’re gonna get and my understanding (which is limited) is that they sort of frown on you utilizing the PS second option.

I’d love for the idea but that would cost an incredible amount of money for airlines. Then the WOs mainline pilots would all throw fits about it and demand it.

Regionals don’t own the seats. Need mainline to consider it.

Also, it becomes taxable income if you’re not home based.

Many will buy you up to 4 hotels a month.

9E will positive space you unlimited times now with the new contract (if it’s your SECOND option to get to work). So if you give yourself two options and the first screws you, call up scheduling and they’ll typically positive space you. I’ve only had to do it a few times and never had any problems with it but in the contract we have unlimited 2nd option positive space options.

Don't forget to pay the federal taxes on that.

If they do they need to come up with a similar compensation increase for those who chose to live in base.

That isn't required. The company is paying for a ticket as part of a business expense. My wife travels extensively for work. Do you think she pays taxes on company paid tickets? No.

As far as I know, 9E's positive space program is only on Delta flights, so it really isn't costing the company money unless they have to bump a revenue pax.

Depends on the arrangement. The IRS tried to tax nonrev SA, but Congress always blocked it. Positive space from home to your USUAL place of work can be taxed. Positive space to another location is not taxed (your wife and most other business travelers). Also not taxed if you have no usual place of work.

People who get positive space due to the nature of the job (job location not desirable, hard to attract workers) typically do pay taxes, but the employer simply includes that in their pay. I believe there's an exemption for travel to a job site which is not suitable for habitation (ie oil rig, North slope).

I get positive space, I am also paid DH pay, and I collect the frequent flyer miles. I just flew on Delta and was upgraded to first class because of my status with them. Pax flying isn't the only game in town.
OH yeh, I never have to pay for hotels either.

Via Air, a small regional two years old in 121 does home basing for pilots with positive space to/from work. Pilot keeps the air award program miles/points. Same with most hotels, pilot keeps the points.
No crashpads ever, if you don’t live in base they provide a hotel.

It’s getting common in the ACMI world to be home based.

So how are you supposed to calculate your supposed tax on a PS ticket? Look up how much a last minute ticket costs on the flight you’re on? Yeah, no.

Your wife is traveling to work FROM a home base, not being paid travel expenses to travel to her normal workplace.

I used to get positive space to work at a previous job. You are not taxed on it. It is no different than living in base and your first leg starting out as a DH.

This thread got me thinking about Atlas. This is what it says on APC

Are they the only airline that does this then? Are they helping the pilots out with their tax calculations? Or are they charging pilots for something other airlines foot the tax bill for??

Let’s hope you don’t get audited.

It’s very different, because in a DH, you are being repositioned from your base for the purposes of work. PS travel to work would be a taxable benefit (as imputed income) just the same way a paid transit pass would be, because it is enables you to get to your normal place of work. Your company may not have been compliant, or they might have paid the tax, but it isn’t the same as a DH first leg.

It depends where you are actually based. If you are home based, then everything is company travel to your duty assignment. If you are based someplace and provided positive space travel on your own airline it would be imputed income. If your company is buying you a real ticket on any airline to go to work and you are Home Based there is no imputed income.
If your airline is giving you positive space and showing a DH on your schedule for FTDT purposes, then you are not getting imputed income and it is part of your duty day.
If you are not home based, and your company provides positive space travel to your domicile on your own carrier (or affiliate) it is imputed income. If they are buying you a ticket from home to your domicile on another carrier, it could also be imputed income. At that point it would depend how they record the travel; if they show it as part of your duty day, no imputed income.... if not, pay up.
Clear as mud?

We at one point threw a bunch of tea in a harbor... what happened :confused: :eek: :p

From talking to Atlas guys, it is that way because a manager was being vindictive and said it was taxable to discourage pilots from using it. Now that the IRS has their hands on it they have to change the contract to get out of that. Other carriers that do the positive space don't do it as imputed income.

No they don't.

Why should people that choose to commute get extra compensation?

Off topic alert...

70 years of liberalism

65 years ago a bunch of 18 year old men stormed beaches in far away lands to put down dictators and restore freedom to the world. Today our same 18 year old men don’t know which bathroom to use, are afraid to wink at a chick for fear of getting labeled sexist, and need a safe space to go cry....

Yep; all these small little progressive changes/improvements they’ve made sure have improved our society and strengthened our country.

But I digress...

Sad but not surprising :(

To offset the extra personal time they give up.

Hahahs. No. Don't like it then move.

No, you move.

And they can pay me extra for choosing to live in base, making me more productive for them, which is inevitably more expensive COL for me than commuting.

There have been more 18-25 year olds that have given their lives for their country in the last two decades than did in the 80s and 90s, by an overwhelming margin.

But I digress...

Old man complains about youth of today.


The story as old as time.

Yup. Yesterday’s hippies became old & cranky, and today’s snowflakes will also be tomorrow’s grumpy geezers. :p

It always seems like those complaining the loudest are these cranky old men who want to go back to their "good old days" safe space.

Youngsters refuse to learn from the past....

The story as old as time.

a little history for you....

65-70 years ago is hardly the 80's and 90's

405,399 US Soldier deaths in WWII
36,574 in Korea
58,220 in Vietnam

Gulf war, Iraq & Afgahnistan were 6,990 all combined.



Home basing is the single largest QOL improvement in the industry other than living in base.

Take it to the facebook machine grandpa.

Probably one of the types who lists education as "school of hard knocks".

What are you blabbering about?

You made an irrelevant comparison about 18 year olds and how they are lazy because the are gay or something . When, in fact, the current generation has died for their country in significant quantities greater than gen x. So, you can make fun of millennials all you want, but they have given more for their country than pretty much anyone born after 1955

Death tolls weren't the original point. My comparison was never between gen x and millennials. He changed the criteria, and then started comparing death tolls. I posted the correct death tolls of the decade I was referencing. There was no lazy or gay reference as you claim. There was a simple statement of fact that we used to have men who didn't need safe spaces, and knew which bathrooms to use. That 70 years of liberalism has not helped society.

now, if there are no further misunderstandings and miscommunications to clarify; lets return to the discussion of Home Basing.