Realistic schedules? (Poss New hire)
 

So, I have the face 2 face interview in MAR with NK and I currently live in LAX where I fly home based for a 135. I’m pretty fed “UP” with it and I want to make the transition to bigger and better metal/ airlines.

So that I can get accurate data on what base(s) is junior or realistic schedules, can someone please share a realistic timeline if I am hired in March when I could expect to start, any training delays? I am factoring like 8 weeks from day1 indoc to completion of type school.

I am NOT wanting to commute for day turns and would prefer to do multi-day trips at all costs.

This being said, what is currently being sent out there for bidding? Are the senior folks taking the day turns, and junior get the multi-day?

Lastly, what are the reserve call-out windows at NK? Trying to judge commuting same day to a call window vs day prior.


Thanks to all.

LAS should be easily attainable in training. Commuter friendly trips starting with a redeye. Short call is 3 hours ready to push. You’ll hold a line before you hold long call.

Thanks so much.,

What is second most junior?

I imagine the red eyes go junior, too. Does the contract stipulate a certain trip rig/day or just paid for hours flown?

Actually LCR is more junior than a line now with a 14 hr callout and 2 hours to return the phone call. 2nd most junior base seems to be IAH with lineholders as September hires when every other base in July or earlier for lineholders.

Trip rig is 3.5:1. Duty rig is 2:1. Average duty period guarantee of 5 hours/period plus 5 hours for any layover greater than 24 hours. And then block or better per duty period for this year and per leg next year. Get paid the highest of those options per trip.

Most bases day trips go senior with the exception of the FLL red eye jungle turns.

I would bet LAX becomes a crew base this year.

How many days on/off for a RSV each month? What’s the average block per month/year for RSVs? I’m just wondering how the DTZ affects the amount of Reserve flying. Can RSVs do the X/Y list premium flying on days off?

Reserve is 18/12 (13 off in a 31 day month). The basic structure is 6/4, but you can waive the 4 in a row to get different blocks. Minimum days on reserve in a row is 4.

The DTZ doesn’t affect your usage other than it typically brings the reserves available down to the required buffer. Usage obviously depends on base, but expect to get used at least 4 days each block.

Yes, you can X/Y for premium, but you can’t do a straight pick up from OT.

Thanks for this. On the Blue side we get 13 or 14 days off on SCR for a 30 or 31 day month. LCR gets 12-14 days off depending on the month.

PBS awards RSV a max of 6 RSV days in a row, minimum of 3. Minimum of 2 days off at a time. You can change those parameters to work all of your RSV days in one long block or down to a min of 1 day off at a time. The min of 3 in a row RSV days can’t be reduced though.

JB RSVs can list for 200% flying opportunities on days off and/or pick up Premium trips (150%) if it is available.

We fly maybe 200-400hrs/yr. It sounds like less than half the amount of flying NK RSVs do.

What seat is that data from? At Nk I think rsv gets close to guarantee if not braking it. In the left seat I think it’s far more leisurely if you don’t mind deadheads constantly. I think rsv would go senior in the left seat with a proffering system instead of the dice roll of what rap you get from pbs.

NK FO reserves fly anywhere from 15 to 70+ hours a month. Totally dependent on month, seat, base, and RAP

Captains where I’m based barely fly…

Bid rsv for many years and never broke guarantee. Not once. Some months never flew. Average less than 20hrs. Your usage is highly dependent on days of the week you are on and seniority. Know which RAP is least utilized and weekends off is the key if you don’t want to be used.

FO rsv will be used bc of attrition. Stop attrition and rsv will be much more enjoyable in the right seat.

Don't mind constantly deadheading at all! Live TV, movies, fast wifi, 35-38" of seat pitch... easiest money you can make.

Great point! However the problem at NK, at least from my reserve experience, is the number of 12+ hour duty days while DHing around the system.

It's not uncommon to have a front end DH, or even a double DH, and then work whatever the originally scheduled pairing had for that day.

These people are masters at running things down to the wire and miraculously pulling it off.

Also our airplanes aren't nearly as comfortable from a pax standpoint

Or from the clientele you sit next to. I’ve never seen more people that don’t know how to function in society than when DHing on us

"Once again ladies and gentlemen, we are asking you to put headphones on hen listening to your music or watching a movie".

When the hell did that become an announcement we had to make in society?

might join
 

How long before you can hold a line in FLL vs LAS as a new hire?

Looks like 9 months FLL and 10 months LAS.

What about IAH ?
Can you get IAH base at training or after ?

I ain't doing this for all the bases man lol. But looks like 7 months line holder IAH and guys are getting it on their second base bid after having the first award usually being LAS.

Damn, 10 months for a line in LAS? I thought that was the junior one.

Well, you figure 3 months for training/OE plus another 2 months of having a relief line. So you end up with about 4 months of actual reserve.

Vegas is the junior base but due to spirit quirks (mainly people bidding out of it before they’re ever in the bid pack) it’s not the most junior line.

Most junior line holder March 23

MCO 6/22
ACY 6/22
ATL 8/22
DFW 5/22
DTW 5/22
FLL 7/22
IAH 9/22
LAS 6/22
ORD 6/22

Most junior captain

12/19 (May 23 award)

Silly question but where can you find this info at?

Silly answer:

The posting above yours…

If you’re at Spirit you look at bid awards on FLICA - find the employee with a line who is most junior then check the bid packet on Comply or PBS and find their hire date.

Awesome thanks

As a line holder, how many days off on average? Monthly credit?

Yeah, that doesn’t answer anything I asked. Minimum guarantee and what is actually realistic are separate things.

https://thechive.com/sexy-girls/lets-all-get-behind-some-hump-day-shall-we-35-photos/

this doesn’t answer anything either. But good stuff to look at.

Finally! Halon posts something I can get BEHIND!

At the very least name what base you're considering. Do you really expect someone to research every base for you?

These new guys who never flew 121 before are pretty entitled now a days you would be surprised. :D

For LAS calendar days off is a useless metric. Many trips duty off between 23:00 and 23:59, and plenty end between 00:01 and 00:59. Difference in days off: 1. Actual difference in QOL and pay: 0. Same-ish for starting trips. Lots start between 05:00 and 08:00. Lots start between 21:00 and 23:30 with a red-eye. Same thing.

ALV probably 80-85hrs.

(like button)

Probably ATL or IAH. Is it significantly different between bases? I’ll be commuting for the next couple of years at the very least, so I’m not necessarily locked in on a single one. The possibility of being able to average 85/mo vs barely meeting min guarantee would make the initial pay cut much more bearable.

Trying to average 85 and commute, while being junior, that doesn’t sound fun.

Moral of the story, never plan on making more than min guarantee.