Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot
Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot!
In our last post, we explored Life as a Pilot on Reserve. That is, a pilot who doesn’t have a pre-scheduled list of flights to fly. Instead, s/he waits for the phone to ring, in order to replace, say, a sick pilot.
This situation, as we saw, has its advantages and disadvantages.
But, what if you’re on Reserve AND also live in another city and state than the one in which you are based?
Eh…then things can get a little more complicated.
This week, we explore just that.
Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot
As you know, I “commute” from PHX to DFW to start my work day.
If I’m a line holder for the month, things are pretty simple. I figure out a flight to catch to and from work, make my reservation, and go. This will add maybe half a day to my work trip, but it’s worth it, in order to live in the city of my choice.
But, if I’m sitting Reserve, I’ve got to plan to be “in base” (DFW) in time for whatever flight I may or may not be called out for.
This entails not only keeping on top of what trips are coming up, but what other pilots are “sitting reserve” and may be called out ahead of me.
Long Call vs. Short Call
Most airlines work off of “Short call.” That is, when the phone rings, the pilot dang well better be ready to report for duty within an hour or two.
At my company, our work rules say “within a reasonable amount of time,” which has been interpreted to mean within 3 hours of notification.
So, how do I, living in PHX, get to DFW within 3 hours of that dreaded phone call?
I can’t.
The PHX-DFW flight itself is 2+ hours long. Plus, I gotta get to the airport, grab a scheduled flight, and not be bumped off because it’s full!
Above:
7 of 9? Where is she?! No, not the Borg lady from Star Trek, that’s the boarding group for my commute to DFW.
Pay no attention to the gawd-awful departure time. All this, for my afternoon report!
Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot
Enter Long Call
The godsend that I pray to get (if I’m Reserve for the month) is “Long Call.” That means that, when the phone rings, I don’t have 3 hours to get to work; I have 12.
This means that I, or other pilots sitting Reserve “out of base,” can reasonably grab a flight and get to work on time.
I’m honestly not sure what other airlines have the “Long Call” option, but I thank my union for negotiating this commuter-pilot’s godsend. Without it, I could not have realistically bid over to the 777.
-
- Jumpseating to DFW for my trip.
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- Jumpseating home to PHX from work.
(Above: due to often high load factors lately, I’m frequently stuck in the jumpseat going to/from work. But, it’s the closest thing to a “guaranteed” seat I can get!)
What’s more, with the electronic online tools we have, I can keep close tabs on who’s being called for what, and therefore assess my chances of call out, and plan accordingly. In fact, if I see that I’m at or near the top of the list to be called out, I can even put in my bid preferences for what to fly.
In fact, I just did this for the LHR trip that you saw on my line in our previous post. I saw that I was #1 to be called out, and I saw that would fit my line, and would work well for me. So, I requested it—and got it!
By the way, the same goes for a cool SCL (Santiago) trip I got to fly. More on that in our next post!
Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot
Short Call for Commuter Pilots
The flip side for the commuter pilot—the worst-case scenario—is Short Call.
Basically, you’ve got to be sitting IN BASE, waiting for that phone to ring, regardless.
Therefore, for the commuter pilot, a month on Short Call Reserve will entail either lots of hotel rooms (at your expense), sleep-challenged nights on Uncle Chad’s couch, or having your own “Crash Pad.”
The Crash Pad
Throughout an airline career, many pilots sign up for “crash pads.” Basically, multiple pilots get together and split the cost of either a permanent hotel room, an apartment, condo, or house.
Flight attendants often do the same.
This cuts way down on expenses, but it’s hit or miss as to whether you get a room to yourself. Or, are assaulted by a stereophonic snoring symphony in surround sound!
So far, I’ve been able to avoid this option. However, to hedge my bets, I’ve taken over a lease from an outgoing pilot (a fellow Blog Buddy!) for an apartment that’s about 15 minutes by über from DFW. By the time the lease expires, I should be able to consistently hold a line.
Till then, I’m at peace with this whole Commuter-Reserve Pilot thing.
This career always comes with its own challenges—volatility, pay, commuting, reserve duty, furloughs—but, in the end, most pilots will tell you:
I’d do this job for FREE!!!*
(*But don’t tell my CEO that!!!)
Hemisphere Dancing Report
A Tale of Two Trips—Redux
Remember a few posts ago, we analyzed my trip vs. Bunny’s trip? While I shivered in chilly LHR, she lounged on the beach in HNL!
Well, recently, we had the situation in reverse. She got sent to snowy MSP (Minneapolis), while I snagged a 24-hour layover in HNL!
While in HNL, Bunny posted a cool pic from her HNL hotel room. Well, just to have fun, I emulated her pic!
And, as a teaser for a later post, here’s a fun pair of pics from my hotel elevator in HNL vs. the one on my recent layover in SCL.
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- HNL
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- SCL
And, finally, one last cool pic from my HNL layover. A lazy rainbow chillaxing along the mountainside!
A Blog Buddy Thank You!
Finally,
THANK YOU
to our wonderful Blog Buddy Mark R. of Nottingham, England, for another generous gift of some fabulous history of flight books and memorabilia!
Addendum: One Last Thing…
We have a request from a fellow Blog Buddy in need.
Recently, David T. lost his childhood best friend. He is hoping to help the man’s family out by helping defray the cost of the funeral. Any amount, however small, will help immensely.
Link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/dkzzgu-lost-my-childhood-best-friend
I thank you in advance, my fine fellow Blog Buddies!!!
Till the next post,
This is Cap'n Aux
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