unable, insufficient reserve coverage.
unable, can not drop below 74hrs.

 

yes, but as Hellafo alluded to, there are various reasons why they might get denied. As a probie, I had some limited success trading. Then again, my lines weren’t quite as terrible, so I wasn’t desperate to change them and didn’t try too hard.

 

If had to guess, trip trading success is probably in the teens right now, maybe single digits.

 

Yes, it definitely is. Like every where there are limitations that can prove frustrating.

 

If you can live in Domecile, this will solve 80% of the sins of this job. If you can't live in Domecile, one easy commute with a few options is recommended. Not having to commute to start/finish a trip increases your QOL, exponentially. I didn't fully appreciate this fact, until I started this job and have watched others' commute.

 

So, I dug into the schedule award for November for VTOR 74ANC.

The bottom four awards on the VTOR which takes you to about 140 from the bottom.

most junior... one 6 day trip / 6 days of reserve
one 6 day trip / 6 days of reserve
one 6 day trip / 6 days of reserve
one 8 day trip / one 7 day trip

The last trip had significant carry out - which could lead to conflict. So, either try to carve out more time off or more pay.

Granted November is only a 28 day bid period - we normally have 56 day bid periods.

So, two reports in one month with 10-12 days off between the above trips / reserve. Granted - VTOR is tough because you know your schedule only a few days before the bid period starts. Which could be tough if you are on a long trip that takes you right to the end of the current bid period....and your VTOR award is another long trip that starts at the beginning of the new bid period.

I understand your frustrations - but stick it out.

 

The lines aren’t that great during the other bid periods either but peak is an entirely different ball game. A lot of the senior folks I talk to say it’s the worse they’ve seen the lines during peak (thanks optimizer). After January it should get better I’d imagine. My only advice is to talk with your wife and family. It’s a lot to leave here (monetary) but divorces are expensive and nasty. Good thing is a lot of great places are hiring if you decide to do what’s best for you and your family.

 

Here is an example of how trip trading works. You put in for a trade request on a Saturday that is automatically denied. Put in an exception request to have somebody review it manually. They work M-F. By the time they stroll into the office on Monday and take a look - the trip you wanted to trade with is already taken.

 

Hello fellow brown probbie. I feel your pain. 74 at ANC still on probation. Just wanted to chime in and share some perspective that's been shared with me and that I found helpful. It's All Perspective. Your unique situation with family, marriage, kids, community, etc will always be unique to you, and someone else's solution for their take on the same problem you face will invariably be different than yours, and will often be inappropriate as a "fix" for your problems. HOWEVER No matter where you go work long term, there will ALWAYS be something that's a thorn in your side. I currently work with USAF reservists at all the airlines...they ALL have something they routinely complain about and that makes them question their choices.

For reference, I did a career in the USAF (no retirement), then a year at Atlas, and I'm just finishing year one here at Brown. In all that time I've continuously witnessed "the grass is always greener" syndrome. A different airframe, a different base, upgrade to a new position, a new company, a new domicile, the list goes on...and on...and on. We are in the business of flying airplanes, there are precious few ways on making a living doing that where you:
A: work for someone else (meaning you don't have the constant stress of running your own business)
B: make a lot of money
C: are home often
You can have 2 of those...at best.

So if we choose to work at a major, either pax or cargo, we will be gone a lot. There ways to MINIMIZE that, but not erase it. That's where your relationship with your spouse is the most critical item. A simple trigger point here: If she's supportive and on your team, you can make it work in the long run. If she's not on board, find another place.
Past that: That's where the perspective comes in. Just like investing, do not judge this job by the short term ups and downs. If you look at this year vs last year, you will be constantly chasing a QOL that is largely imaginary or embellished by nostalgia. Yes, QOL from last year...as applied to my current situation...will very often seem better, but that's dreaming. Dwelling on that possibility is a waste of time. Instead, realize that this job is cyclical. In the long run, working at UPS, Delta, United, etc can be fantastic...but only if you approach it with a long-game perspective. A healthy long-game perspective requires a positive mindset in order to take a realistic view of facts, allowing a healthy decision making and analysis process in your choices. Focusing solely on short term pain or gain will rarely help that.

For example, on the 74 at UPS I could focus on how I flip my body clock every flight (nearly). Or I could focus on the fact I get to do one-to-a-full-stop to relatively good destinations with longer layovers...(P.S. 75 guys don't get that nearly like we do). That means I get more time awake on my layovers to talk with my wife on the phone, write posts on forums, read, exercise, etc. I'm currently on a 44 hour layover in Asia. I choose to take a long game perspective in that. Someday I may choose to go to the 75s at SDF for a shorter commute. But that's a family decision and it's not one I need to make right now. What I DO have to decide right now is how I view my everyday life. If I take a positive view every day, my overall outlook will be much healthier, more positive, and more circumscribed, allowing me to approach future decisions from a healthy place. If, on the other hand, I am constantly negative and focused on how much my current situation sucks (for example I can't leave my hotel, the food is expensive, and I can only go to the gym inside), the entire inverse will become true as I become more negative...that would obviously lead me to quitting this job, or at minimum being the guy no-one wants to go on trips with. I come to that conclusion having done two probationary years, back to back, and having witnessed first hand many men who have taking both of those two roads (positivity and negativity).

I'm still months away from seeing the fruits of that labor, naming higher income. However what I do with my attitude today will help my approach that decision about shortening my commute, which will happen later, with a better attitude and perspective. I'm not saying it's easy, no important task ever is, but it is worth it.

You may well find the best option is to change airlines, but I believe if you base that decision almost exclusively on a first year experience at a one of the places where the first year is the roughest, you're not giving yourself or this job a real chance.
It's a long game. Approach it with a long view.

In short: Hang Tough. Probationary year, or even years 2 or 3, are not representative of how this career will play out.

 

^^this. Life is all about perspective and realizing that one has control over their own perspective… good, or bad.