I have an interview in a few weeks and am trying to set my expectations regarding basing, trips, and policy and would appreciate any input on the following questions. This will help me prepare questions for the interviewer. Thanks...
1. Likelihood of getting BOI out of training (prior ERJ experience)
2. Expectations for number of days of duty (or off, however best to present) each month.
3. Expected training date for ERJ
4. Covid vaccine policy.

 

1. It's probably pretty likely, if not right away, then within a few bid periods after you're hired. (You're in good shape if you bid for it right away and then get it before the end of IOE.) MSP is the most junior ERJ base to my knowledge, but I'm not an ERJ guy.
2. It's officially 12 as of September 2022. Reserves get 13 off in a 31-day month.
3. No idea.
4. Does not exist.

 

1. Very good
2. 12 days guaranteed off per month
3. 5-6 months out
4. There isn't one anymore. Previously if you were vaccinated and got Covid, you were pay protected. Not vaccinated you were out of luck.

 

Thanks for the input. So the time off guarantee is basically based on the guaranteed hours (76) divided by the guaranteed daily hours (4:12) subtracted from 30. Got it. What are pilots typically experiencing? I mean, are schedules full of min duty days of 4:12, or are they greater yielding more days off? Or, is the 12 day off guarantee allowing higher number of hours (>76) to be scheduled instead of more days off? Also, I saw on the forum talk about max duty days and min turn times being quite common. Any experience with that?

 

Everything is constantly changing. Captains are getting max duty and min days off with less than ideal schedules.

FOs have a bit more staffing so better schedules closer to 76 hours a month are possible.

The company did not want to give any QOL stuff in the contract. The ideal schedule for them is have a pilot come in early and get home late. You come in and fly two turns blocked at about an hour each leg with a long sit in between the two turns where the company can reflow you or change something all while paying the MDG of 412. Rinse and repeat about 18 days a month.

As a an FO that rode the seniority wave to the top I can bid about 90 hours a month on efficient 4 day trips and locals to get 15 days off, but that is not the case for the new people.

 

Thanks for that info. Very helpful. How long did that ride on the seniority wave take?

 

1 year. Only because of forced upgrades and I commute to SFO where most new FOs don’t want to be because of cost of living

 

System wide the average credit per duty day is around 5 hours on the CRJ and 5:20-30 on the ERJ. Sure some days you might only get 4:12 and others around 7. The pilot strickly getting 4:12 every day would be a rarity. And remember we have a duty guarantee of 1 for 2. One hour of pay for every two hours on duty. Or at least lineholders do, reserves may be getting screwed on this.

The thought that everyone here is getting minimum days off is BS. It's easily disproved by looking at the PBS awards that are published for every position at every base. Additionally, all of the trips, or pairings as we call them, are published for every base. Sure if you bid below 60-70% in base, you are going to get the less desirable trips that probably pay less and work most of the weekends and holidays. That's true at any airline.