thats what Netjets does, You just have to live in or near one of their designated airports so they can get you where they need you. Not really a whacky idea. We can book ourselves on jumpseats and nonrev listings already so why not be able to book ourselves positive space to and from work? Sure they will say "we're taking up revenue seats" but whats the alternative? It would likely save on sick calls due to not being able to commute in for a trip also. They could give an incentive to those who choose to just live in base. You either take the PS commute or live in base for a yearly bonus. easy enough, but will likely never happen. bean counters will just see it as the employees taking money out of their pockets

 

What do you expect them to do? You have voluntarily accepted employment with your company and can leave at any time.

 

Question. Can Netjets do this because of the nature of their business? i.e., because they don't run a hub-and-spoke system it seems like they have to provide this in order to get the crew to the aircraft.

 

That is a completely true statement. Youre not raining on my parade. However, airline industry has been constanly evolving since inception. Therefore, it is my arguement that our perceptions about commuting, pay and work rules should change as well. In the 80s, it used to be that if you lived in Georgia and wanted a commuter job, you worked for ASA and "commuted" to the big city. Now, everything has changed. The world (including the regional world) has gone global. Regionals are no longer just flying E110's to Macon and Muscle Shoals. However, starting pay still blows and people have to move all around the country to get these jobs. How about rewarding your employees with a ride to work? And, as I said, there could be restrictions. Possibly, required to live within a 2 hour flight of your base? Just throwing this out for discussion.

And, by the way, the only rights that your employer is obligated to provide to you, are the rights we negotiate. You dont get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. That may sound immoral, but it is a business basic.

 

Completely agree. I betcha RA gets a positive space pass to work.

 

Very good points. You could try to negotiate commercial tickets and/or paid company deadheads for trips that may begin out of domicile. That is where I would start if you wanted to pursue an avenue which eased the commute. True, there might be many lines that would begin in domicile, but seniority would be the factor in who gets and who does not.

Very true, but not immoral. Your job is to negotiate the entire pie, your employers job is to negotiate to you only a small sliver. It would be immoral (well, unethical is probably a better word) if either side did not work to the best of their ability.

 

Question to the feeder pilots… When you interviewed, did you know where your base was going to be? During basic indoctrination, didn't the instructor point out that the use crew room as a rest area prohibited? Weren’t you all warned about the evils of long distance commutes? Did not the subject of crash pads come up during training? Did you expect by some miracle that your salaries would actually start as some livable wage rather than $1,500 per month? Were you all so naïve to think that you would be treated with respect by your company? Those with young wife and child(ren), did you really think this through and consider their feelings and sacrifices? How many of you in your twenties are lucky enough to have generous parents still willing to supplement your income? With all of this in mind, all of you accepted those substandard conditions. Why?

 

The theory was that you would do this for a year or two until moving on to bigger and better things. Doctors have poorly paid residencies with awful QOL. Everyone pays their dues (hopefully). This "feeder airline" step wasnt supposed to last 15 years.

 

An airline can't tell you where to live. It will never fly.

 

I dont really care why they do it i just said they do it. They do it because they need to ensure their pilots are in position to fly an aircraft.

Also just because the majors have a hub and spoke systems doesnt mean they dont need to have their pilots in position for a flight. When i have training i can book myself positive space to training so why not other times? If i commute on my own and the seats open then its the same situation. It costs the company nothing to allow a positive space seat on their own airline. Now if the planes full then sure you're taking up space but thats what a jumpseat is for. At nwa the Jumpseat has been added to the BOW and CANNOT be weight restricted. If all airlines did this then that would help tremendously for people trying to get to and from work.

Point is that there are alternatives out there that could be explored but the bean counters will always find a way to justify skimping out of it.