Its called a crash pad. Yes, its wasteful of your money if you don't get called. Thats why reserve sucks even more if you are a commuter. They company just says you must be available for a _ minute (generaly 90-120) callout. They don't care where you are, so long as you can report in that many minutes.

Welcome to this industry. Passenger safety is only the number one concern of the company after the accident. Until then, its ontime performance. Get used to being abused and do your best to leave your regional a better place for those that follow.

We do have a taxi policy. Its 30 minutes after block in. Unless the hotel says to get one, you need to get crew scheduling to approve it first then you have to pay for it out of pocket and expense it later. Most people wait. Its easier to call in fatigued the next day.

 

Your report time is based on reporting at the gate, not at the van. Remember the whole transportation local in nature thing? I got a phone call from a chief pilot over this one. Per our ops manual we are required to report at the gate no later than 30 min prior to departure. If you have ample rest, then take the normal van. If they delay your report for minimum rest to 30 min prior to departure, you are still required to be at the gate 30 min prior. Which means take the original van. Do I agree with this?? NOPE. But, it's in our ops manual at Comair.

 

they'll be ready for an on-time and not inconvenience pax

I'm not yet flying for a living, but when did passenger convenience supersede flight safety? I don't see myself doing that. If the NTSB finds out that you reported without enough rest, I doubt passenger convenience will be a good enough answer.

----I agree. I would NEVER fly if I thought I was too tired to handle an emergency situation that would require memory items / solutions that required 'thinking outside the box'. Fact is, airlines push on-time performance, and airlines push safety as well. I know at my airline, I've never felt pressure to fly if I wasn't ready to deal with anything that could happen. I've even started a trip with a deadhead, and had to call in when I got to the outstation where I was supposed to fly because I got light-headed and dizzy on the deadhead. I kept trying to tell myself I could get some water, and try to focus...b/c now we'd probably be stuck canceling at an outstation. Oh well, rather delayed / canceled then what could have happenned. Company didn't even ask questions, in fact the chief asked what they could do to help and if I wanted a hotel. But I digress.... It's one thing to stuck up an early wakeup and grab a large coffee for the first couple legs, it's another thing to fly fatigued. Call me odd, but I actually find the early morning van rides kind of nice...the crew is usually pretty quiet and it gives me time to wake up my mind by reviewing emergency memory items in my head to get focused. It's the little things....



I don't know of any airlines that require you to live any sort of timeframe from the airport, other than for reserve reporting purposes.

How does reserve work then? Say you live in MIA, and you're base is JFK? Do you have to check in at the crew hotel the night before? Seems wasteful, especially if you don't get called.

I realize that posting on tt=his forum won't change the FAR's, but I'd like to know why pilots have allowed themselves to be taken advantage of, with the obvious risks to flight safety? Maybe somebody will read this post and bring it up at the next ALPA meeting?[/quote]

------When you're on reserve, you are required to be within, say 90 minutes, of the airport. However, on your days off, you're off and don't have to be within reach. Also, the company is not going to pay for a hotel for you when you are on reserve...that's what crashpads are for.

 

I may take the original van, but you better believe I won't be at the gate more than 30 minutes prior. I'll be enjoying my coffee and breakfast/lunch/dinner first while I wake up.

 

Way back on IOE, I remember having a CA who wanted to get out on time. He was one of those early morning guys who was up & ready to go. We took the original van. When we got to the airport, he goes out to the plane, and I follow (seeing as how I didn't know any better at the time). Meanwhile, the FA stays in ops and shows up at the plane 15 min later, pulls me aside and goes "I can't believe you guys touched the plane before XX:XX". Glad I know better now!!

 

Its called a crash pad.

Enlighten my darkness. If you don't live where you're based, you have to rent an apartment at your base?

Tell me I'm wrong!?!

 

If you are on reserve, yup. If you have a line, depending on how commutable it is (late starts, early finishes), you may not need anything, get by with a hotel room or two, or have to have a crash pad. Again, welcome to the industry. There is a reason it is called a "base." The company wants to have a lot of pilots there without paying for hotel rooms.

 

How does reserve work then? Say you live in MIA, and you're base is JFK? Do you have to check in at the crew hotel the night before? Seems wasteful, especially if you don't get called.

I dont know of any airlines that pay for a hotel while your on reserve, its all on your dollar-if your a commuter on reserve you've gotta get a crash pad or pay for a hotel! Most of the time if your a commuter its alot cheaper to get a crash Pad=(Multiple crewmembers sharing a house or apt.)

 

Guess i was typing slow while the others were posting
Like the person above said thats just the buisness-Ive always been told by senior guys alway always if possible live in the city of your base and avoid commuting. Commuting=NO QOL Of course sometimes your base city sucks and its worth the money(for the hotel/CP) and time to commute.

 

No in the pax world, but plenty of ACMI's will do it.

Also, I thought I heard of FedEx having their pilots sit reserve in cities where there is a large operation but no pilot base. Like IND.