CAL questions
 

I've been reading the CAL/UAL TTA this weekend and have to admit, it looks like a pretty good option. A couple questions:

1) How does the long call reserve work? Can you commute to long call reserve? How does the 9 hour call out work over the pm when commuter flights are unavailable?

2) What kind of retirement plan does CAL have? When does it start for newhires?

3) Is EWR 756 or 777 relatively senior or junior?

4) What are the sick leave and vacation accrual rates?

5) What are the min days off per month? What is the pay per day on reserve?

6) Can you "mil vacation" drop? What is it worth?

7) Is there a base and/or equipment freeze as a newhire? If so how long?

8) What is the pay guarantee in new-hire training?

9) Does CAL pay for lodging/travel for new-hire training?


Thanks in advance for any info. I sincerely look forward to working next to our CAL brethren in the future!

I'll try to answer a few of the questions that I know (no promises though).

1. Long call reserve is bid for and only a certain # are awarded per base/seat. If you get a reserve "A" line, then your pay guarantee is reduced from 76 to 72 hrs. They can and will convert you back to a "B" or short call reserve a few times a month (but don't recall the ramifications). As a long call you are first to be assigned a trip in open time. Don't know about overnight call outs but my guess is they don't care and its your problem (so I would want to be within a resonable distance from base)

2. Retirement is a 401k (no matching unless lots of profit for the year) and a 12.75% B fund that is immediate and fully vested upon hire. Both funds are in a Schwab account that has almost unlimited options for investment.

3. Ewr 756 is very junior due to the junior flying being unproductive. Lots of 3 days trips to the UK and Ireland. 777 requires about %70 seniority system wide currently (but tends to vary).

4. Sick bank hours accrue at 5.5 hours (I think) per month and vacation is 2 weeks a year for completing years 1-5 then goes to 3

5. min days off 12 min pay for line holders 72 reserve "a" 72 and reserve "b" 76

6. not one to answer this question

7. Freezes are two years unless you are moving "up" the ranks (e.g. going from 737 fo to 756 fo)

8. I think you get 76 hours a month for new hire training...Plus you get free room and per diem for the ENTIRE time. That is from 1st day of class till sim check ride.

9. Yes and yes. During training if you have 48 hours off, you will get positive space tickets home

good luck

Thanks av8rrob

thanks for the info

looks like the UA reserve is better.

is memory serves me right:
everybody is long call you don t have to bid it, you just bid for days off; 12 min/month also.
they can convert to short call for a day up to 6 times a month i think. if they do you get paid for that day (4 or 5 hrs i believe) so i have known some people living in base actually picking up short call (especially if they are going to break guarantee for the month)

you can pick up open time on your reserve days and avoid being on call.

long call is 12 hrs, short is 4 what is it at CAL?

Long call is 9 short call is 3

RSV is a special kind of hell at CAL. Welcome.

A couple of corrections from what my fellow CAL pilots posted:

1. Long call is 9 hours to report, but short call is 2 hours to report.

2. You can be converted from A (long call) reserve to B (short call) reserve, but if they do it MORE than 2 times in a month they have to increase the pay guarantee by 1 hour per each occurrence starting with the third.

3. Sick leave accrual is 5 hours per month, not 5.5 as stated above.

4. Pay for reserve is as indicated 72 hours for A; 76 for B. That equates to 4 hours per reserve day for long call and 4:13 for short call.

5. The last system bid which showed 16 recalls had an even split with these pilots as 737 GUM FOs and 756 EWR FOs.

>>
5. The last system bid which showed 16 recalls had an even split with these pilots as 737 GUM FOs and 756 EWR FOs.
<<

are there enough volunteers for GUM or are people forced to go there?
how long before getting back to the mainland?
is GUM going to stay that junior?

i remember asking some new hires friends in the 05-08 hiring spree and it seems nobody was forced there, they had enough volunteers

Short Call you have to be able to effectuate a block out 3 hours from notification. This is due to traffic in the NYC area. The idea is a two hour window to report and an hour pre-flight but the way it is written you won't be busted for taking 2.5 to get to the airport if that is what it takes you.

"A" reserves (long call) get paid the least and fly the most. When I lived in DC and commuted to EWR on reserve I bid A simply because I knew I could drive it at anytime and meet the call out time and I didn't need to pay for a crashpad.

If you get converted from A to B more than twice in a month 1 hour is added to your min guarantee for the month for each subsequent time you are converted.

As far as mil dropping trips they just went to a computerized mil leave request. You can mil drop trips after an award but they may put you on RX (lineholder reserve days) or assign you a trip as a schedule adjustment for days originally scheduled that arent covered by mil leave. For example say you drop a trip scheduled for 10-13 (4 day) by taking mil leave 12-15. They can assign you RX days 10-11, assign you a trip 10-11, or give you nothing and leave it to you if you want to recover any flying.

There are enough swingers and pedophiles in our group that Guam never has a problem being staffed. Your possibility of being involuntarily based there is very slim.

How tough would it be to commute to GUM from HNL?