​​​​​​You can bid all reserve 18 days in a row, and have all your 12 days off together. The company will give you 30/7 during your reserve period so you could be working less days. If the layover is more than 30hrs, that will count as your 30/7.

Great, thanks for the info.
How hard is it to regularly receive a schedule like that?

Think the only time have seen reserves not getting what they ask is December for Xmas into new years.

So, is it reasonable to say that one could, for eleven months a year, bid reserve and get the 18 straight as new hire or junior pilot?

Sounds like masochism at best or outright suicide on the 717’s ops-tempo. But that sounds perfect on the other metal for a worn-in ACMI mook like myself. Especially if one is hired into the Amazon flying only to see it disappear down the road.

And with that said, what does it take to get a call these days? I thought I might hear something by now. Mid thirties, 9500 TT, 2500 PIC-J, with WB Boeing INTL PIC experience and a ton of crossings. 135 time in the trenches to boot. I don’t think I’m anything special by any means, but I’ve been around for a minute at this point.

Do I need a local rabbi, or do I need to find a candy bar with a golden ticket, or what? Should I have checked the “willing to relocate” box?

Interisland reserves aren’t being abused by any means and the seniority is coming quickly especially so on that fleet and will continue to do so for the next several years.

Beats me. Feels like the hiring side and training department are figuring out the optimal pace and speaking only for my experience of the instructors in the training department, they have been bursting at the seams and doing the best they can. That seems like the choke point at the moment.

Beyond that, I had only minor ties to the island and didn’t say anything to anyone about them until the interview. I’m pretty well a mainlander that moved there.

Took about 8 months from application to interview invite and believe I was the highest time pilot in class with not a dissimilar resume to yours.

Have really loved it here thus far, for what it’s worth.

A few things to get you hired.

1) Agree with the upper management that natural immunity is a myth. They don't like science up there.

2) Show about 2,000hrs on your app.

3)Think rainbow watch band. Or a multi colored lapel pin

Historically fun place to work. Not as much comradery as pre 2020. Management has literally been wrong on just about everything the last 3 yrs. Dangerous part is they don't realize it and truly believe they are right. It does somewhat appear HA is backing off the woke cause agenda. Maybe they figured out being a follower isn't the way to go.

If you're a true cargo guy and want to remain so, express a complete willingness to do cargo.

Dude, next job fair. WIA or whatever is next that HAL will be at.

Or they just haven’t called you yet.

All the answers here are pertinent for the current time frame. Things could always change for the better or worse in the future.
Two years ago there were no overnights for interisland flying. The trips were built so you could star early all day until later in the afternoon. You could bid for what worked best for you.
Always home every night.
Those days are gone, maybe forever or maybe not.

Not sure what the formula is for an interview invite. A recommendation seems to go a long way. Never flew with a recent interviewee, but wrote a character rec for him (I was his only rec). He was offered a CJO two days ago (4 days after interview) 1650TT and 150 jet. Started flight school 3.5 years ago and completed OE at Skywest 3 months ago. It’s a brave new world

Do you think this trend will continue or might it start to go more senior now the pay is significantly better?
Also, if you are hired into one of the busses, can you upgrade on the 717 as soon as you can hold it, or are you seat locked even when bidding for a command. At my current carrier there is no seat lock preventing bidding from right to left on another aircraft.
Thanks!