Alaska reserve system

[DBS]

I know Alaska isn't hiring yet,but for the guys on the bottom of the list. What is the reserve system like? Thanks!

 

[Dash8don]

2 Types of reserve lines

Long Call-
-75 hour min guarantee
-11 hour call out
-Contactable 24 hours a day on reserve days (you go into rest once notified of trip)
-Company only has to build min. of 10% of lines per base, per seat as long call.
-If long call lines not bid the company will not assign
-First to be assigned if able (ahead of a short call)
-You can pick up open trips the day before if they match your number of days on reserve
-The company can convert you to short call up to 4 days per month. Must pay you 2 hours for the first conversion and 1 hour for each conversion thereafter. Pay is above guarantee.

Short Call-
-2 hour call out
-79 hour guarantee
-Many different lines of 15 hour long zones of contactability, depending on base and staffing needs. 3am, 4am, 6am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 12pm, 3pm, 5pm.

All lines are built with 12 days off. One block of 5 days off, one 3 day off block and 2-2 day off blocks.

Long calls fly the most, sometimes even breaking guarantee. Short call depends on the base, zone and staffing. Last month there were a few LA short call pilots that never flew.

Hope that helps.

 

[DBS]

Sure does! Thanks for the reply.

 

[densoo]

-Many different lines of 15 hour long zones of contactability, depending on base and staffing needs. 3am, 4am, 6am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 12pm, 3pm, 5pm.

Dash8don,
Are these short-call callout periods assigned before the month begins, before a reserve block begins, or just before each day of reserve begins?

 

[Dash8don]

Dash8don,
Are these short-call callout periods assigned before the month begins, before a reserve block begins, or just before each day of reserve begins?

The reserve lines are built with all the same zone throughout the month for any given reserve line. Scheduling cannot change the zone you were awarded for the month as a short call. If you are a LC they can convert you to short call up to 4 days per month and they will assign the zone.

Example: Lines 901-904 are all Zone 0 (3am), Lines 905-908 are all Zone 2 (6am), Lines 909-911 are Zone 7 (10am), Lines 912-914 are all LC.

 

[densoo]

The reserve lines are built with all the same zones throughout the month for any given reserve line. Scheduling cannot change the zone you were awarded for the month as a short call. If you are a LC they can convert you to short call up to 4 days per month and they will assign the zone.

Thanks.

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

They can't change zones anymore? That's an improvement over the last CBA.

 

[Old School 737]

I thought they could call you at the start of your zone (short call) and say hey guess what go into rest now and you have a trip that is outside your original zone? I know that's not switching zones but kinda like...

 

[densoo]

I thought they could call you at the start of your zone (short call) and say hey guess what go into rest now and you have a trip that is outside your original zone? I know that's not switching zones but kinda like...

That's called "double-pumping" at CAL, and it is very common. On an overnight short call period you get a solid night's sleep. At the end of the call period at 7am, they call you and say you're now in rest for a redeye, expeciting you to go back to sleep all day, after sleeping all night, and be rested for the redeye.

 

[densoo]

dash8, thanks for the info. How an airline (union) treats its reserves says a lot about the character of the pilot group. These are some fairly decent rules. CAL can convert long to short 4 times before they have pay an extra penny, and they can convert all 18 days if they want. There's no limit. And the extra pay is not automatic. You have to file a pay claim in a certain time window after the 4th and every instance after. If you don't, you don't get paid. (There are many areas of the contract where they rope-a-dope the pay understanding that they'll make money because of pilots schedules there's a certain percentage who won't be able to get the pay claim in time.)

They can change your zone each and every day you're on reserve and they do. You can have a 3am callout on first day of reserve and a 1600 callout on the second. Totally screws up your body clock.

All your items exceed CAL's rules. Kudos to Alaska pilots for understanding the concept of taking care of reserves. It makes the most junior new hire realize that they're at a decent airline, and it allows senior folks to upgrade in equipment and position earlier since the reserve isn't a sweatshop type of operation and destroy your QOL.