Open Time at United
 

Is open time available to pilots? How is it paid out, 25% 50% premium?

Thanks

It's paid face value for the trip

Open time is posted in CCS. You can see open time in any base. You can pick up or trip trade with open time for your own base at any time. You can pick up out of base open trips at 1300 the day prior to the trip.

Trips pay straight time, unless crew scheduling marks an open time trip as a "premium trip" in which case it would pay whatever premium it is advertised with: 25, 50, or 100%. They can rescind that premium markup at anytime prior to a pilot picking it up.

Do you often see trips with much soft time? E.e. Deadhead and trip rig?

Most trips have some soft time based on trip rig. The last minute trips to cover an issue, like a timed out or sick pilot, will usually have a deadhead, sometimes on both both ends if it is covering a trip that finishes at another base.

is it difficult to credit over 100 hours? At Blue it's not uncommon to credit 120 monthly

Yeah I'd say that's pretty uncommon. A UAL pilot can work far less hours for the same amount of money as a JB pilot though. I always got a kick out of the JB pilots bragging about how much they would credit when I worked there. I guess it depends on if you want to have a life outside of work or not.

To me the real advantage to working at UAL is the difference in retirement benefits. You are talking at least a $2-3 million dollar difference in potential retirement savings between the 2 over a 30 yr career. That's where the big difference is.

Not difficult from what I've seen. If you're fairly senior - trip bought here and there and some smart trip trading will put you over 100 soft every time. Even with some smart trip trading and pick up after the 24th should get you close to the 100 mark.

Thanks all

RJcruzer , you trying to make the jump from Blue ?