Well put. Unfortunately every airline has enough "time wh*res" that it doesn't help a brotha out.

 

any other good ideas?

 

My company's current contract does not allow for much "soft money" so you have to be an "air wh*re" to get the credit up there. In the peak months the company will offer 150% pay for picking up open time, I have heard of folks calling sched at the end of a trip asking if they are trying to cover any flying (that would be a 150% extension) and some DO answer the phone when scheduling calls on off days for Junior assignments (125% and a comp day the next month). Some folks do an extra couple days a month and in the subsequent months sell the comp days back (at 3.75 hours of credit). Personally I try to fly 85-95 hours a month (which is normally where the schedules are built to) and don't work any more than what I am scheduled. The extra couple days off and time to spend with friends, family, my wife, and my dog mean more than the extra money. But that's just me.

Now the training dept guys can get some really high credit (125-150hrs a month) from what I have been told by some of the guys. They will do 2 sim sessions a few days a week, then a couple line checks, some OE and get tons of credit. Only part that sucks is the lack of true "off days".

 

great thread!

 

If you are picking up extra OT and you have folks on a furlough list then you are pathetic. No OT until EVERYONE is back off the chopping block. Period.

 

I sat reserve on my days off because I lived in domicile. They paid me 3:45 per day and if they called me I was paid time and a half ($36/hr x 1.5 = $54/hr + 5% override for CR9's) for the credit/Block or better. Since they didn't have any reserves in ATL, crew support considered me emergency reserve (seeing that I was the only one they could call and get to the APT with in 2 hours) and would rather TDY a guy in form SLC or ORD if they had time in order to protect they ace in the hole. Over 7 months I sat reserve 38 times and was only called once. That's 38 x 3:45 = 142.5 hours x $36/hr = $5130 extra. That's money I made on my weekdays off without ever having to work. My second year at SKW, which included 3 months at first year pay; I almost topped $53K and I average 16 days off, I was home every day with every weekend off and every holiday off.

Right place………..right time……………….right situation………..right system.

 

I'm on reserve so this is the only thing I can do. I call CS on my day off and see if they have anything in open time that they can assign me, if they put something on my schedule I usually only get paid 100% for it since I request it. 3-4 days later, i'll end up talking to a different CS and I tell them that i was JM for that trip so they change it to 150% on top of guaranteed. I use to block 40-50 hrs and credit 100+

 

Amen Brother!!

Living on base pay sucks, but unemployment is worse! I suggest if you see someone being a wh*re, tell them what you think of them!

 

I will not get into "helping the company" at this point but if you call to fly on your day off as a lineholder is WF (will fly) in there system. As a lineholder its 150%, as a reservist you are technically only able to pick up a reserve day (yet you get to tell them the hours). There are many new FO's here so I hope we don't teach people how to go down to 7/8 days off in hopes of a few extra bucks- totally ruins the union's push for more min days off and better crew coverage.

 

Yes, I know i'm only allowed to pick up a reserve day on my day off, but most new CS doesn't know that, they don't know that I can't pick anything up when i'm on reserve. As long as it's within the 72 hrs of the trip, CS can assign it to the reserve pilot as long as there was no email request by a line holder.