I'll jump in too. You never have to answer a phone call from them on the LDO. Check MS at 1800. If a flying assignment is there you can check in on CCS. If a reserve assignment is there you call them to acknowledge but only after 1800.

 

I made a huge mistake last April. The day before a reserve day, the crew desk called and I answered. They gave me a 8am show the next day (first day of a reserve stretch). I was obligated because they made contact with me. If I had let the call go to voicemail, and called after 18:00, they could not have given me the trip. They can't start you before 10:00 on the first day of reserve following a day off.

 

Totally agree, I usually do shut my ringer off but I forgot to do so last night.

Update: looked at CCS and she probably called because I'm now assigned a trip with a DH show time of 1725 and take off time of 1755 (go on SC at 1500, so inside the 2.5 hour window) but she couldn't officially notify me of the trip because I hadn't started my SC block yet.

Again - no transparency in their decision matrix really sucks!

 

You whiners!

 

No whining here. I've been on RSV for about 9 of my almost 20 years! I do my 5-7 days of flying a month and rack up some SCs for extra cash. VDOs sometimes as well!! Piece of cake.

 

Sled,

Pilots (on both forums) who have suggested that the reserve system could use some tweaking have been ridiculed and labeled as "whiners". My comment was sarcastic in nature given that this thread has offered up numerous examples which help to debunked the label.

Occasionally, reserve can be a great gig for some pilots in some bases. Next month a whole slew long time line holding SFO 777 pilots are going to get a taste of it. Let's hope they are all so lucky.

Glad things are working out for you.

 

Seriously, fill out an ALPA PDR about the call. We need to document these abuses and screw ups for ammo in the upcoming contract talks. Sorry it happened. But this is opportunity to change for the better and do some fixes to the reserve system.

 

A couple of misconceptions here. I think these are right, without contract reference. But here goes.
1. You are required to be phone available at 0001 on any long call days. Unless you have an assignment, you have to be available. If you have an assignment, don't answer unless you want to. Yes you still have to check your schedule between 1800 and midnight the day prior.
2. With the above, it doesn't mean they can start you before 1000 on day 1 That is a requirement for FAR 117 rest and our contract. Of course you can volunteer for a start prior, but they can't make you.
3. I don't believe since you answered, you are on the hook. That is a common misconception. Just because you answer doesn't mean they can violate the contract. Along with this, leaving a voice mail does not constitute contact. They must talk to you or you acknowledge the assignment in CCS
4. As a reminder, once you finish duty after a trip meaning block in plus 15 minutes, you are back on long call, and again, must be phone available. Again, it doesn't mean they can give you an illegal assignment, jus that you must be available for contact. This includes any commuter flights home.

Yes, reserve could be better.

 

ahhh. tk mako ... (you are tk, right?)
i thinks you are conflating the ideas of "whining" and "legitimately bad to be on reserve sometimes at this airline"

yes. reserve was really "bad" in the early nineties. (you had to be phone avail 24/7 for strings of days and pretty darn close to the parking lot). and when we went to the bars down by the beach, we whined about it over beers.

and today, i guess, sometimes they call at odd hours and sometimes they ask pilots on reserve to be - horrors - near the parking lot ( and we call this "SC" now i guess). and ppl get online and "whine". it is still whining - even if it's on a forum and not at a beach bar AND even if it's truly truly true that it kinda pretty sucks to be on reserve

sometimes, mako, your posts make sense and at least make good efforts to be not-bland. so appreciated.
but don't attack the posters (like me) who point out whining when they see (and know) whining
i whined a lot on reserve. a lot.

 

I'm not a TK guy, but my hat is off to 99 percent of the PI's who I've had over the years. And, my whiners comment was meant to be sarcastic and was intentionally accompanied by both a winking emoji and a big smile. I've been on reserve most of my 18 years here, so I've got a pretty good grip on it, the good and the bad.

From The Washington Post's, Style Invitational

sarchasm - the gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it

The challenge was to make a new word by altered by adding, subtracting, or changing only one letter and supplying a new definition.