How often does your airline........
 

How often does your airline call to junior man you on your days off? Last Sunday, I got seven calls. Yesterday, they got smarter and gave me the list of trips that they were junior manning for. I think there were 5 or 6 trips. Only one call today so far. I don't remember the last time I had a few days off and didn't get at least one call.

I know that it doesn't happen often at most airlines, but just how rare is it? Few times a month, or a few times a year?

Mind you, I am not complaining. It doesn't affect me because I commute, and couldn't get there in time anyways, plus, I never answer the phone when they call. I just want to know what the rest of the world is like out there.

Never in 1y9m for me.

Never...1 year.

Don't have junior manning here, but I get called every few days off for overtime. I just don't answer the phone from the home office on days off.

They can't JA at Skywest, they can only ask. I get called about once every month or two, but usually don't answer since I live out of domicile. I actually picked up last week, and voluntarily took a trip with an earlier show but less flying than the one I was supposed to work. I got paid for the original trip, less work, and got home earlier. But I still wouldn't recommend answering the phone on your day off.

Never tagged in 22 months at AWAC.

I did get a single call from Scheduling one Saturday morning back this summer...but they didn't leave a message.

It happens at AWAC, but not in my nearly 4 years it has only happened once and I was 'unavailable'..... :D

Those AWACers know the meaning of that word!

It happened twice to me seven years ago at XJT. I, of course, didn't answer the phone. Haven't heard of it since.

Never been called for it at TSA. However if they call on a day off, I don't answer my phone. They can't assign it if they can't notify you and leaving a voicemail isn't considered notification.

Never in almost 3 years at Comair. I have been asked once while I was doing some extra-flying, if I would pick up another flight, it was worth it.

Isn't that like the number one rule? NEVER ANSWER YOUR PHONE ON YOUR DAY OFF

They beat that into our heads the first two weeks of Indoc! LOL

In 22 months at SKW I've been called 4 times and I openly accept the call (ringtone for Crew Support is Imperial March/Star Wars). JR manning is not mandatory at SKW so I turned 2 down, I just said "sorry can't help you, good luck." 1 I accepted for 150% pay plus positive spacing, the second was at double time with a hotel and positive spacing. When it's not mandatory you can negotiate and when their desperate you'd be amazed at what you can get. They tell us not to negotiate but, hey it's my day off! Tough luck, it's called opportunity cost!

At TSA been called twice in 6 months... the last one was a call at 12:30am for a repo flight. Just don't answer the phone unless I want the flying.

At my previous airline, I could be junior manned days ahead of time... I would be on a trip, get an ACARS, and be screwed... no phone call necessary. Total times = over 15 times in 2 years. Oh, and no comp days.

never at pinnacle in 23 months.

happens to me on a weekly basis, however after 6 months im yet to accept a single assignment. its really as simple as not answering the phone.

The old joke goes like this:

Crew desk: Captain, I know you're on days off but we have a trip for you.
Gezer Capt: No can do. I've been drinking.
Crew desk: Oh, that's OK. The trip is for tomorrow morning.
Gezer Capt: Still no can do.
Crew desk: Why is that?
Gezer Capt: I'm drinking and I can't stop!

Never answer your phone on your day off and/or get distinctive ring or (caller ID)

Been on line at PNCL a little less than 3 months and got my first call Sunday. Naturally, I didn't answer. The voicemail was rather amusing though: They admitted they were trying to junior assign me a trip and asked me to call them back if I was "interested." Uh...NO!

never.......................

I think once in my 2 years here at XJT. But that was last summer when we were really lean on FOs. We've been fat on FOs ever since so it hasn't been a problem. I've also been hijacked once at the end of a pairing but I got my 150% and an extra day off out of it so it wasn't terrible. The hijacking I had no choice, they had a crew tracker and a van waiting to whisk me off to the next gate. Must have heard me tell the captain I was gonna "go stealth" when it came up on the ACARS.:D

Easy way to solve both problems: if you answer the phone at home, tell them you have been drinking. For a hijacking just tell them you're fatigued/getting sick.

Helps to have no junior manning in your contract. So for me ZERO and with the kind of growing pains we've been having at RAH lord only knows what would have happened esp. with Joe Cespedes.

Got called once .. "I was two hours from home, then 1 h 30 mins to airport for commute (if you can't positive space) oops after last flight, I can go in morning if you provide hotel at commute airport. When I get in the original flight will be 20 hours late; but I'll be happy to help you." Never called again.

That is how they are supposed to do it. Tell you that they are junior assigning people and if you are interested, call them back. The last time I was called, and only time, was back in August. The message she left my, said that she was junior assigning me for a flight that night and to call her back. She made it sound like I had no option. In the back ground I heard people laughing as she left the message. She was talking so fast I could hardly understand her. It is just a tactic to get guys who don't know any better to call back.

At eagle i was junior manned once. It was on day two of four off. They called at 9 am and said they had a flight for me at 1200. I got the message at 130 and called them back and said i was 2000 miles away at home and there was no way i could have even done it. They got over it. Now im in the same boat as toilet duck no junior manning.

Compass JRA
 

Well, I can gladly say we don't have to worry much about that at CMP since we are staffed at 160 pilots / 6 acft....with staffing lvls above 20 pilots per acft, no problems in that department. However our contract only allows for 2 JRA's a month with no more than 4 days which can total no more than 6 JRA's in a year totaling no more than 12 days. Hope it never comes to that though. ;)

Almost a year and a half at AWAC and not a single junior man.

a year at comair with no junior manning at all. We're actually overstaffed for FO's


I can't even pick up open time to make a little extra money because we are so overstaffed

Scheduling: "Mr, POPA, we're junioring you to a trip this afternoon."
Me: "I'm drunk."
Scheduling: "...it's 8:30 in the morning."
Me: "What's your point?"

Haven't been called at TSA, but my ringtone for scheduling is "Somebody Kill Me" from Adam Sandler in "The Wedding Singer".

"Do YOU know Bruce Barker? Cuz I know Bruce Barker."

Mr M.A. (from your class, who now flies for S5) told me on our company board, "In your case, that wouldn't be a lie."

100% not true.
Scheduling has lots of nasty tricks for getting ahold of you, including: a note on the release, a scheduler to meet your airplane at the gate, and "forgetting" to reserve you a hotel room.

It might be different at other places, but that is not Junior Manning at XJT - that's a reassignment. As far as I know, reassignments have little to do with seniority and more to do with who's available. Junior Manning is calling you on your day off and it is as simple as not answering your phone or making up a ludicrous story of debauchery.

You of all people should know or be able to devise ways to mitigate their attempts! :D

My favorite JM story is the Mesa captain in IAD that changed into civilian clothes in the cockpit before exiting...walking anonymously right past the Crew Tracker who was waiting to JM him. A close runner-up story is the Mesa Crew Tracker that got arrested by airport police (who were notified of a "suspicious person on the ramp" by a flight crew) for being in a secure area without a SIDA badge.

True or not? I don't know...but funny nonetheless!

If you get back to base at the end of a trip and have to go back out for another overnight because your release said, "CA call scheduling," that's not a reassignment. That's being juniored. Here at RAH (where we don't have JMing), if we're reassigned we have to be back in base within two hours of original scheduled release. At TSA (when I was there, at least), they're more than happy to turn your three-day trip into a four- or five-day.

I've got a buddy who was a CA at XJT who was asleep and mistakenly answered the phone once. It was Scheduling and they said, "CA Smith?" He replied with a "yes." "This is Crew Sheduling and we are Junior Manning for a flight at xx:xx." He quickly escaped by saying, "Oh. You must be looking for son. He's one of your captains but he's not here. I'm a CA with USAir." Which was true, his dad was a USA CA.

I got juniored once. After that, it was all about outsmarting them - especially the witch in Futures (you TSAers know who I'm talking about).
I've heard of the first story before. I've also heard of pilot who hopped out of the galley door and walked into the terminal through ops. My favorite is waiting on the plane for 15 minutes after blocking in, and then buying a mini-Jack from the FA.

OK, at XJT that would not be a JM situation. That would be a reassignment AND getting your day off rolled. We're entitled to 150% pay for the reassigment or the day off restored. But if it's a reassignment that ends the same day, you get 150% pay. We can get a reassignment from ACARS, Ops, a Crew Tracker at the gate, and a couple others ways but not from a note on the release. The way I understand it (after 8 years here) is that Junior Manning is strictly getting called on your days off.

That is absolutely hilarious. :D

im going to agree with bloodhound on this one, and in that case its 100% true that if i dont answer my phone they arent getting me, that simple!