They recently said the 777 base in EWR will grow and the 787 base will shrink.

 

Did a little WB reserve a long time ago under a different contract, so take this FWIW: I live just over an hour from the employee lot. It was WONDERFUL. As FN says, you can't count on your days off, but reserve utilization on WB fleets is historically relatively low. Best barometer is probably 2019, but new hires will go to a NB first and have some time to sort out what WB reserve utilization is like. That's the perspective of someone who lives in base. Obviously (hopefully) you don't want to commute to reserve any longer than you have to.

 

How often do they convert you to short call rsv? Im debating bidding in as a commuter, I have 9 flights a day from my city so getting to ewr isn't a big deal but I don't want to sit in a crash pad half the month.

 

It depends on a lot of things; I wouldn't say anything specific about reserve because it varies too much. And at this point in time, everything is in flux. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

 

You can expense Daily Parking (close in) anytime assigned to report <3 hours… so really not a factor adding the 30 mins for the employee shuttle at IAD or elsewhere.

 

I’ve been on 777 reserve since the DEN incident and have never had more that two short calls in a month. I have also been proactive in picking up cargo trips though.

 

Saying my intel is "time late" doesn't do the phrase justice in conveying how far out of touch I am since it's been the better part of two decades under a different contract and airline (CAL C97/02). The best info would be from someone who sat reserve on a EWR WB in '19, but I don't see the upside in commuting to reserve if you can avoid it.

 

Good point - I always seem to forget that nugget in the contract.

 

EWR seems to have better flying compared to IAD. 777 has been more junior than the 78 and it appears the 78 is worked more on reserve. The 777 might be hard to get with the pratt issues and ord base closing in the short term. Some of those ord guys will come over to ewr. I know you said 1.5-2 hrs away from base is where you are looking but there are places that are expensive for a reason within the 1 hr ring of nyc. That area will always be in demand, has decent schools, and plenty of things to do and see. It is expensive but you save a lot of time and aren't living in the sticks.

Living out in PA in suburbia and adding an extra 45min-1 hr drive to pay almost the same taxes as NJ doesn't make as much sense as it once did. Nj and pa are almost the same cost of living now and the savings if there are any is in the 1-2% of income range. If your wife works her job will probably pay more in NJ but childcare in jersey is almost a mortgage payment per month. You really need to run the numbers for your individual situation. I moved to Florida and you basically get a free house with your state income tax and property tax savings but the schools aren't great.

 

Warning!! Pre-Covid ops

If you will be on reserve on the 777, the crew desk will assign short call on a regular basis with no accountability. Meaning, even if there are no departures, or doesn't make a lick of sense, they will do it anyway, to as many people as they desire. Do not plan on being able to do long call from home if you commute. Short call from home if you live in base is a completely different animal, with lots of time at home.

They tend to look at reserves available, and custom tailor a short call assignment to whomever they feel like," To protect the integrity of the operation." Yes out of seniority often. Yes out of silo often, because they can.

So be advised, if you are on widebody reserve, plan on quite a few short call assignments. It doesn't mean you will have to work, but you have to abide by the short call rules. Meaning if you commute to it, it will be a royal pain. You will be tempted to sit short call at home, don't do it.

Reserve rules need to be addressed in the contract talks.