Reserve Aggressive Pickup
 

More than 3/4ths of the time, whether coming off a day off or on reserve, when trying to select a pairing off aggressive pickup at 1100L the reply is insufficient rest or illegal assignment. But some other pairings, generally not as desirable, can be selected and are awarded. If you can get through to a scheduler in time they will give the denied assignment to you and can't explain why the software rejected your original request.

Have searched the contract for some time cutoff or guidance on this subject. May have missed it, but can't find anything. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

They know about it and can't/won't fix it. Bigger fish to fry is what I was told. It does work somehow for some people. I have not once had it work using any variation since January this year. FWIW I call crew scheduling on the phone to pick up. Most of the time by the time I get through the trip is gone. Thanks for playing

I have had exactly the same experience!

Ditto!

Reserve is supposed to suck. Right?

I used to think so but not anymore. I spend more time at home.

Reserve question: is 5 days of reserve availability different for trip assignments than 4 days?

Example: a 4-day trip appears on reserve open time,

1 person with 4 days available
4 people with 5 days available

The 1 person with 4 days has flown most recently

Who is the next called?

Thanks

It does not matter WHO has flown most recently. It's where are you on the multi-day list. If the 4-day guy is lining up for the 4-day trip, then he gets it. If the 5-day guy is lining up, then he gets it.
At least that's how I understand it

Since there are no 5 day trips on the 73 for example, I would think the 4 day guy gets used first, even if he was used more recently. That way scheduling will have the 5 day guy available the next day for any 4 say trips.

It makes sense to use the 4 day for a 4 day trip, however I thought I recall something about there being a category (silo) of 4+ days, lumped together.

It possibly changed when they implemented the FIFO system

4+ silo was old rules last fall, I believe a 5 day gets used after a 4 day guy regardless of placement on list.

And if it is your first day of reserve you can't be scheduled till 1000L, unless they make verbal contact with you. So a first day of reserve pilot may have not flown at all but will not be called at all for the morning launches. There are also caveats involving the white rabbit and red queen. Last flight being listed like before 12/31 would help.

This morning the ccs aggressive pickup window did not populate at all even with trips sitting in open time for tomorrow. Scheduler didn't know why because he said he had two still sittting in the que.

Another error message during aggressive pickup:
"Exceed max line value"

The trip would have put me at 80 hrs, nowhere near the max but still got that error message, scheduling does not know why I got this but the trip was gone by the time I got through...this is getting old :mad:

This is true. No more multi day silo. If you are good for four days, and there are three five day guys in front of you, you get the the four day trip that opens up. Happened to me earlier this month.

I thought everyone starts off on long call (13 hours)?

6) Impact on Reserve Last Day Off: Because reserves are required to check their schedule on a day off between 1800 and 2359 (20-K-7 as modified by the JIT), this must be accounted for as company-required duty. A one minute duty period will be recorded at midnight of the first day on reserve (interim process pending programming changes that move this time to 1800). Following this one minute of duty, a minimum of 10 hours of rest free from duty is required.
Therefore, a reserve coming off days off is not legal to report for a trip or begin a SC/FSB until 1000 on his first day of reserve unless the crew desk achieves two-way contact (see Important Note below) or the pilot aggressively picks up an assignment. For reserves that are not coming off days off, be sure to consider this limitation and realize pilots on their first day of reserve cannot cover reports prior to 1000 unless they aggressively pick it up. Use caution when evaluating the FIFO list and make sure you consider this restriction on early reports for pilots coming off days off.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If the crew desk calls you on your last day off and achieves positive contact (two-way telephone conversation) they can give you an early SC or trip that departs as early as 0600. If such positive contact is achieved, there is no requirement to enter the 1 minute of duty at midnight but contact must be made at least 10 hours prior to the report or SC/FSB start time.

Reserve Aggressive Pickup
 

I don't even try to do aggressive pickup anymore. I just sit at home and get my MPG and don't fly. I doubt I'll get my 100 hours in 120 days. About 50 hours to go and only about 2 weeks left. Wonder hiw long it will be til they figure out I'll have to go back to the sim.

It was that way but not anymore. If there is a four day reserve behind 6 five day reserves, the four day guy gets the trip. There used to be one day, two day, three day, and multi day reserve silo's. Now there are one day, two day, three day, four day, five day, and six day reserves. The Company wanted this in order to more efficiently use the reserves. The Company didn't want to burn a five day reserve with a four day trip when they had a four day reserve available lower on the list.

It's another of the many concessions in the 2012 CBA that was paid for by the reserves. I could list at least eight other concessions paid for by the reserves but then I would be repeating myself.

To the Gent that says he thought reserve sucked "but not anymore" because he "gets more time at home," just wait until this summer. You'll be trading in your low pay and time at home for low pay and being abused by the crew desk away from home.

Not true. I had a "6 day" trip. Granted, the actual trip was 4 days but there were DHs before and after since it was out of another base. So they actually can and do use reserves on "trips" greater than 4 days.

Glad it works for YOU. But it sucks for some of us who can and do use it to ameliorate the BS that sked tries to pull. There isn't an abundance of QOL left after our new hosetract, so even the little stuff matters. I used to have a love hate relationship with reserve. Now, its skewed firmly toward hate.

When the flying gets shifted perhaps you'll see it differently.

I pick stuff up as I can to make my schedule work better. On long blocks (5-6 days) I'll take a trip that finishes late the night prior to my last day so I can get home early on my last reserve day. I'll massage it so that I'm at/near the bottom of the list on my first day back which often means long call which means an extra night at home. It's not that hard. Just pick up the phone at 10:59. Of course, if you live in base maybe it's just better to sit at home for now. I would.

I don't know about other new guys, but I need all the extra per diem I can earn as well. Not a big deal probably to folks who've been here a while, but my wife notices the months I don't fly as much. That mid month paycheck sucks enough with per diem.

This isn't entirely true. Only true if you don't have a trip scheduled by 1800 the day prior. If they assign it before 1500 they don't have to contact you at all and it can most certainly be before 1000.

Actually you are wrong. The current FAR 117 interpretation coupled with our outstanding IT mean that the company must have actual contact with you in order to assign you anything prior to 10 am on your first day of availability. So, if you don't answer your phone (which you don't have to do on your day off) they can't make positive contact with you, so they cannot account for the 1 minute of duty it took to get your schedule and allow you to report before 10am.

This is not a contractual issue but rather an FAA issue. ALPA communication on this came out right at the new year as the FAA informed UA that their plan for assigning trips on the day off and requiring a pilot to check his schedule meant that UA was going to have to document that as duty, which of course they couldn't do, so here we sit not having to work before 10 am on our first day on call!!

I wasn't trying to sound cocky with my post Mako. On the contrary, I meant I was tired of trying to aggressively pick up a trip and always be denied for one reason or another. I just wanted to try and get my 100 hours in. But if scheduling is to inept to figured out that I'll dequal soon, we'll so be it. I feel very fortunate that I can stay at home for reserve, knowing most guys/gals cannot.

Thank you. I stand corrected. I must be confused.

Sorry about the caps. I'm just gun shy from hearing the SME's and BS that we heard as the TA was rolled out. Oh that will never happen....etc. It's happening.

I barely made consolidation as well. It's never your responsibility to do someone else's job, but I understand wanting to put the best foot forward. Don't let ineptitude skew reality