If you are on probation don't flip your reserve day, or days. You will be called into the Chiefs office and given the book on company ethics.

Chief pilots don't work for you, they work for the corporation.

 

Could you expand on it a little?

If I live in a senior SWA domicile that I can't hold and as a newbie, I'm commuting to another junior domicile to sit reserve, why wouldn't I drop days in my junior domicile and pick up OT or even reserve in the senior domicile where I happen to live?

I'm failing to see the problem, but then again I'm new... so maybe someone can set me straight.

 

There is no problem. Carry on. You're doing NOTHING wrong. Good for you for working the system.

 

"Company ethics". HA!!!! The irony of that statement.

 

I was referring to this. Three days of reserve pays 18.0 trips. If you have a 90 trip reserve line and you have already flown 85, you are sitting the remainder of your reserve block for 5 trips.

If you park that day or block on your friends board, then take it back, you get a A code, you will then be paid above the 85 trips you have already flown. If you have 3 days left you would be paid 18 more trips. Your new total is 103( 85+18). If you do nothing, your sitting 3 days for 5 trips for a total of 90. It's know as "sitting for free".

SWAPA wrote a reserve guide on this topic. The guide does give legal ways to manage reserve. If you have any questions call your union reps, they are there to help.

The corporation views reserve flipping, to gain an "A" code, with your friends board as a ethics violation. They site the code of conduct manual you have to automatically check on Swalife when you log in. You need to understand who you work for. This isn't the book Nuts.

Trade between, and within, domiciles all you want.

Go to the SWAPA website, under committees, select scheduling. Scroll down to the link labeled "How to not to sit reserve for free".

 

Thank you Black Coffee.

I have one more question... looking at various DOT, why does the company put reserve in Open Time? Does it pay anything extra or is it just fishing for coverage?

 

The contract requires them to put any dropped reserve blocks into open time with the exception of 1 day blocks.

 

It's a trap. Don't do it unless you live in domicile and there is lots of reserve coverage or unless you are on probation looking for second year pay.
You will almost certainly get an open time pairing with none of the same protections as a lineholder. Better to just bid straight on an open time pairing. Pretty much anything that flies on the east coast these days is a great way to make extra money.

 

Yes, this contractually legal concept has landed guys in the chief's office, primarily in BWI. I agree it is better to not do it on probation. It has and continues to be done though by plenty of pilots.
I personally won't bid a single day of reserve again unless I am forced to. I did it for 18 months and you are a second class citizen when you have red days on your board.

 

True, but just to confirm, if I live in a senior domicile and say my current domicile is OAK, assuming there are no trips in DOT except reserve blocks to pick up, is the reserve I pick up in a senior domicile paid at second year rate?