Originally Posted by GEARPINSOUT

I'm on reserve so I will "work" the 18 contractual days. BUT I live in base so I get to take the kids to school and pick them up most days, read them stories most nights and cook dinner with the family most nights.

I choose to live in base and I choose to bid reserve to get the best QOL available at my seniority level. Some months I do well, some months are a little skinny.

Originally Posted by KnightNight

This ^^^ even on short call it’s a day off to me. Recently they haven’t changed many to short call either. Reserve has been good to me in the quiet months, summer it’s a different story ha

Originally Posted by kevin18

Haven’t changed many to short call? Lol. Every single time I start a reserve period it starts with a short call. I’m convinced they do that to get commuters in to town. My first period had 3 of five short calls, so there wasn’t a point in going home. Last period was a four day, day off, short call last day. So I’m definitely swing a use in short calls. The four day was not an APU.

Originally Posted by GoCats67

This is the perfect response and does show the huge difference in QOL on reserve when commuting vs living local

Last week I was on call for 5 days. I got a SC on 4 of them. So those 4 days would be in the "y" bucket above.

Now, if you are a commuter that is 4 days away from home and would have been 3 nights in a hotel on your own nickel or in a crash pad. That is definitely 4 real days of work in the way that most of us look at it. if I am out of town because of UA, then that is working as far as I am concerned, doesn't matter what UA has me doing.

However, I live local. So, those 4 "y" days may not be "working" in the same way. They do help me work on my day drinking (been trying to cut back on that anyway) , but other than that I go about my business as usual. Obviously I am still on call and if I get called for a trip then those days go in the "x" bucket and that is definitely real work.

I guess what I am saying is while all "y" days are working, that "work" is not created equal, depending on where you live.

Once August rolls around and these new rules/bidding opportunites are implemented it is going to be very interesting to see how bidding and utilization plays out. Figure it will take several months for everything to settle in on what the consequences really are, but I imagine we will see some significant changes in bidding strategies.

Originally Posted by butchf16

For this month, December, I had 77 hours of MPG for 18 days of reserve. 5 unused short calls. One two day trip at the beginning of the month. Got to fly our new A321, which was cool. Picked up a 4 day to PVR since I was going to get used anyhow. Got Christmas Eve and Christmas off.

So to wrap it up, worked 6 days (x) with 5 SCs (y) for a total of 82 hours. The PVR trip will be over New Years Eve which will be additional add pay for next month. I live in base, so I did a bunch of stuff around the house and drove the wife crazy. I am planning on bidding reserve during our slow months for QOL.

YMMV