CAL Class

[Scrapdog]

Two types of reserve A and B

A = long callout (9hrs to push)
B = shor callout (3hrs to push)

Deerkiller - what are the pro's and con's of each in your opinion? I'm in the Dec 12th class...inquiring minds want to know!imp:

 

[THEPRFCT10]

Where to do reserve?

Is it true that CAL makes you sit reserve at the airport? Or can you stay within the response time?

 

[Deerkiller]

Deerkiller - what are the pro's and con's of each in your opinion? I'm in the Dec 12th class...inquiring minds want to know!imp:

I personally like the B reserve. It pays 76hr guarantee(A reserve pays 72hrs). The A reserves are most likely used first, b/c it's a use or lose those guys. However, if you live within a 3 or 4hr drive of the base(i.e. Dallas or Austin, in relation to IAH) A reserve is great b/c you dont have to go to the base unless they call you. Even if they call you and there are no flights you have 9hrs to get there. I have a few friends who did this and it seemed to work well.

Reserve is what you make of it. You can sit and hope that they dont call, or you can use the aggressive window and pick the trips that you fly. It's pretty easy to see if you're next in line so I would pick my trip instead being at scheduling's whim.

Hope this helps, anything else?

Welcome aboard

dk

 

[RIOtoPilot]

CAL Reserve

No - CAL doesn't require airport ready reserve for pilots (FA's still do I believe). You either have to be at the airport in two hours (B reserve) or eight hours (A reserve.)

Deerkiller - what are the pro's and con's of each in your opinion? I'm in the Dec 12th class...inquiring minds want to know!imp:

The contract states that at least 25% of the pilots on reserve will be offered A reserve. As for pros and cons, it probably depends on what you want.
Long call A reserves have more time to get stuff ready and some can actually commute. However, you have a lower min guarantee (72 hours) and skeds will call A reserves first. A reserves are on call 24 hours a day and get to choose from the aggressive pickup window first.
Short call B reserve only have two hours to show, but get a higher min guarantee (76 hours). B reserves are called after the A reserve list is exhausted and they only stand phone duty for a 12 hour block each day.
So, if you want to fly go A reserves - you will normally get notified of a trip the day prior. If you live locally and want potentially more money, maybe B reserve is better for you.

 

[acbarney]

I live at the ragged edge of B reserve callout time about 100 miles from EWR, and bid B on purpose (i'm on the 75). I've been here 1 1/2 years and can hold a semi-decent line, but still only 12-13 days off. So I bid B reserve and get paid 76hour guarantee at the blended rate (slightly higher than 75, slightly lower than 76). I hardly ever fly. In Nov. I flew 6 days and had 25 at home, 12 off 13 "working". A guys work significantly more, and the more junior you are on B reserve the more you work.

 

[Scrapdog]

Commuting

Rio, D Killer, and barney - all great info, much appreciated. Here's another question for you guys...say you live approx. 350 driving miles from EWR, or about 5 and 1/2 hours driving time (per yahoo maps). The city you live in has multiple Xjet flights direct to EWR throughout the day. Can you still bid A Reserve from your home and if they call you, try and jumpseat on an Xjet flight to make it by the 9 hour mark? Or is that a bad idea and just get a crashpad there in EWR? Does A reserve go more senior...ie will I be able to do A reserve right after I accomplish my 100 hour mark or will I be sucking up B reserve? Thanks in advance...

 

[145EXR]

as an xjet pilot that has commuted to ewr for 2 yrs..just because you have a lot of flights dosent mean you can fly to work responsibly...cal controls our operation with regards to slots,,,so when the wx gets bad at ewr, we cancel a lot..the 145 ep (oldest version..we have 22) is basically a 48 seat plane...the 145lr (we have about 100) can USUALLY take 50 + Jumpseter..but when wx is bad they will also get weight restricted...you are in pretty good shape if a 145xr is on the route (almost always possible to get 50 + pilot and fa jumpseater)...basically,,,if you CAN drive, id drive (figure time to drive to airport,,get there 1 hr prior, fly to work) since its probably about the same time door to door. hope this helps.

 

[Palomino]

Rio, D Killer, and barney - all great info, much appreciated. Here's another question for you guys...say you live approx. 350 driving miles from EWR, or about 5 and 1/2 hours driving time (per yahoo maps). The city you live in has multiple Xjet flights direct to EWR throughout the day. Can you still bid A Reserve from your home and if they call you, try and jumpseat on an Xjet flight to make it by the 9 hour mark? Or is that a bad idea and just get a crashpad there in EWR? Does A reserve go more senior...ie will I be able to do A reserve right after I accomplish my 100 hour mark or will I be sucking up B reserve? Thanks in advance...

as mentioned...the XJT flights often get the cancellation ax first in order to utilize the slots for mainline flights. ie: cancel an XJT Syracuse flight to make room for a Tel Aviv 777 and other widebodies in the congested holding airspace.

weather goes down at any of our hub airports and the screens start to fill with XJT CANCEL.

'A' reserve is what you make of it. i think the key is to take advantage of the earlier access to the Aggressive Pickup Window. 'A' reserves get first crack at the open trips - about 2 hrs prior to the 'B' reserves. give yourself plenty of options and then some during your probationary year. it's never worth pushing the limits regarding commuting. get there early always.

best of luck.

 

[acbarney]

When I first started the whole A,B thing was brand new and nobody new how it was going to work. The airline as a whole was also more understaffed than now. I bid A reserve for the first 3 months after OE, I flew my a$$ of, not what I wanted to do. I switched to B reserve last spring and didn't fly much at all (I was senior enough at that time to hold a bottom line). In May they started using me much more on B reserve so I bid a line for the summer. (from what I hear this is typical for the summer time and somewhat true for holiday months Nov, Dec) On A reserve you will get your trip assignment the day before 90% of the time. If you don't have a trip assigned then you go on call for the next day starting at midnight. I never got a call while sitting A reserve for a trip starting 9 hours from now, although it could happen. Since you live within 5 1/2 hours , I would try commuting by air till the 6 hour mark and then start driving if I didn't make it. You should be fine as long as you accept the possibility that you may have to drive. Whatever you do you don't want to miss a trip on reserve after it's been assigned to you, especially on probation.

I used to work somewhere that had 12 hour long call, I was based in Chicago and sat reserve in PHL. There are about 40 flights a day between the two cities, however there was about a two hour time window every night that I was screwed if given a true 12 hour call, I risked it a couple times and made out ok, but then again the company was bankrupt and had already told me they were going to get rid of me.:smash:

 

[Deerkiller]

Scrap,

You made a comment about the 100hr mark. Be prepared while you're not "consolidated"(that what they call it, dont ask me why) to fly your a$$ off. I was in EWR during this time and always had a trip while i was up there. If i was good for 6 days I flew 6 days. However, once i tripped 100hrs and turned in my paperwork, it stopped. Luckily i had already been transferred to IAH and only had one more set of days in EWR. I sat for four days then on the fifth day they gave me a CMH overnight. So if they keep hiring like they are(which now i'm hearing rumblings about continuing through the summer) they'll have a lot of 100hr FOs to fly and you'll sit.

dk

 

[SOVT]

"FAR 121.434 Operating experience, operating cycles, and consolidation of
knowledge and skills". Might answer your question as to why they call it consolidation.

Scrap,

You made a comment about the 100hr mark. Be prepared while you're not "consolidated"(that what they call it, dont ask me why) to fly your a$$ off. I was in EWR during this time and always had a trip while i was up there. If i was good for 6 days I flew 6 days. However, once i tripped 100hrs and turned in my paperwork, it stopped. Luckily i had already been transferred to IAH and only had one more set of days in EWR. I sat for four days then on the fifth day they gave me a CMH overnight. So if they keep hiring like they are(which now i'm hearing rumblings about continuing through the summer) they'll have a lot of 100hr FOs to fly and you'll sit.

dk

 

[Deerkiller]

"FAR 121.434 Operating experience, operating cycles, and consolidation of
knowledge and skills". Might answer your question as to why they call it consolidation.

Well there ya go

 

[timmay]

I just got called for an interview and I have a few questions. If you pickup a trip on reserve does that go above the 72 or 76 hour base pay? Also about how many days off, commutability of trips is there for a junior line holder in EWR or IAH. Thanks

 

[pkober]

A warning about "A" reserve.

You get paid for 72 hours on A reserve and 76 on B. They can convert you from A to B reserve for up to three days and pay you 72 hours. They do that all the time. I bid A reserve one time to try it out, never again. The 9 hour call up isn't used like you think.

Example. Day one of A reserve. At 0001 they convert you to B reserve with a phone availablility of 0900. Now you are on a three hour call up to takeoff, that's two hours to check in starting at 0900. Tough to make if you have a long drive.

Hopefully we will get the A and B reserve thing changed in 2008.

The good news. I was hired in Oct 2005, 737 EWR. I didn't finish IOE until the end of December. Sat reserve for Jan and Feb. Reserve is short. Once you get a line life gets better.

Until you get 100 hrs. you have to fly at least once every 10 days. If you don't, then you have to fly with and instructor. Instructors are in short supply during this hiring spree. If you have to fly with and IP every 10 days the company gets really pissed. If you plan on taking military leave wait until you get you 100 hrs. (this doesn't include drill). I'm talking about long leave, unless it's involuntary or a AEF. I laid low until then, after that I haven't had any problems with mil leave.

Good Luck

 

[Crucianpilot]

I was hired Sept 05 and have been an A reserve in IAH 756 every month except for 2( conversion lines before PBS). I have never been converted to B in that time and have flown an average of 70 hrs a month. I commute from MCO and A reserve works pretty well for me.

 

[pkober]

Must be a 757 / 737 scheduling thang!

Hopefully we will get better reserve rules in 08.

 

[Uniform Shop]

I used to work somewhere that had 12 hour long call, I was based in Chicago and sat reserve in PHL. There are about 40 flights a day between the two cities, however there was about a two hour time window every night that I was screwed if given a true 12 hour call, I risked it a couple times and made out ok, but then again the company was bankrupt and had already told me they were going to get rid of me.:smash:

Aaaahhhhh, the good old days of commuting to Chicago while on long call reserve. What an enjoyable experience that was. I never missed a trip but I came really close A LOT!!!!! :uzi:

They are buying some of NWA's DC10's I guess and starting a more extensive code share with SWA for Mexico, Caribbean and Canada. It's nice to see some positive news over there for a change.

 

[Muff-N-Man]

I was hired Sept 05 and have been an A reserve in IAH 756 every month except for 2( conversion lines before PBS). I have never been converted to B in that time and have flown an average of 70 hrs a month. I commute from MCO and A reserve works pretty well for me.

Do you normally commute in for an assignment, or do you still need a crash pad? Do new hires bid a/c and domicile, or are they assigned? Thanks.

 

[Crucianpilot]

I have been able to commute in on most of my assignments. Every once in a while, I have had to get a hotel room but they are fairly cheap in Houston. Pick up most of my flying in reserve agressive pickup the day before. I also have family in Houston so I do stay with them sometimes. All in all, it has been pretty good so far. A/C assignments are bid on by age in each class as well as domicile. Good luck.

 

[talespin]

2 yr upgrade, I think is unattainable.

May 05 class and it looks like maybe EWR 73 Ca on this next bid. The numbers are looking IAH 73 Ca in 08. Of course everything be equal as of today.