Comair Commuting/Reserve

[tubelo]

Comair Folks,

I have been offered a position at Comair, and have some questions:

About how long is the current reserve time?

Is commuting while on reserve a viable option? (ABE - CVG)

For those who are military reserves, how easy/hard is it to do a significant amount of drilling to stay afloat until the pay becomes reasonable?

Thanks,
tubelo

 

[AFELLOWAVIATOR]

I think I would of researched all this before interviewing, but..

It may be a little bit of a hassle to commute, I would go some where else if I were you. There are tons of Airlines needing pilots.


I'm sorry if I sound a little rude but you would think a person would do a little home work before applying. I read these kind of post and just shake my head some times.

 

[trainerjet]

tubelo,

I feel for you, buddy. The hard part won't be reserve or the commute. The hard part will be dealing with illiterate d!ckheads like AFELLOWAVIATOR.

Need more proof? Do a search of his posts.

 

[HAZ-MAT]

I've used Comair, out of MDT, and ABE to go to either ATL or CVG, and I have never had a problem. I normally was commuting on monday's to get back to my hub, and the loads were normally 85-90% full. Between ABE and MDT that should give you close to 8 flights a day...

 

[jumppilot]

>>>>I'm sorry if I sound a little rude but you would think a person would do a little home work before applying. I read these kind of post and just shake my head some times.<<<<

Tubelo,

No worries. After I got offered a job, a lot more questions came to mind. Facing the reality really can make a person a little more curious, now that everything is coming together.

AFELLOWAVIATOR is right, there are a lot of pilots out there looking for work, but you got lucky and landed a job. And by the looks of your profile, you earned it.

Good luck!

 

[tubelo]

I appreciate both the good and bad comments. I agree I may have wanted the answers to these questions prior to interviewing, but they are not important in my decision on accepting the job. I realize I am very lucky to have this opportunity and appreciative of it.

My questions are intended to help plan to maximize the quality of life for my family. We will make it work, but want to get a jump on it if we decide we want to put our house up for sale and other major changes.

Thanks again for all your input.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

I recently gave up on commuting and moved my family to Northern Kentucky.

Commuting was not difficult for me by any means (PIT) but on reserve I found myself spending quite a bit of time in a crashpad. Oftentimes I would fly into CVG the day before I went on duty and, many times was not able to get home on my last day of duty.

Comair scheduling has been far better than many of the airlines i've worked for in the past -- but 11 days off is 11 days off and every moment with my family is important to me.

I sat down with my wife and discussed the situation. We absolutely love Comair. (make sure your wife comes out for the family open-house after indoc! It's well worth the time!) After having been in training for 3 months and driving around the area while on reserve for another couple of months I discovered that I really love Northern Kentucky!

We found a fantastic little neighborhood about 10 minutes from the airport by back-roads. The homes are very, very, affordable on our combined income -- and far larger than the same dollar would have provided us in Pittsburgh. We have some great neighbors including quite a few Comair employees.

To make a long story short, we're very happy -- quite a bit happier than we thought we might be just a year and a half after the furlough.

You should not have much trouble commuting -- but if you want to discuss the pros and cons with moving to CVG please feel free to PM me.

Congratulations on the new job -- competition is fierce out there right now, so you should feel proud to have been selected!

Take Care!

 

[AFELLOWAVIATOR]

I apologize. The way I read it you were trying to decide if you wanted the job.

 

[Hovernut]

Reserve: 4 months last spring for me. With COLAs and the upcoming slowing in hiring....who knows what it'll look like! All's I know is that there wasn't enough reserve coverage to drop a trip or get personal leave this month. You should see all the DENIED drop requests!

I hear the commute from ABE is easy. Welcome aboard!!

 

[Mil-BushPilot]

How about the commute from DTW. I see there are about 9-10 flights a day going to CVG but what are the loads like- is commuting a piece of cake?

What about the staple discussion with Delta mainline? Is that even a remote chance or just interesting discussion? Thanks.

 

[skiddriver]

Comair Folks,

I have been offered a position at Comair, and have some questions:

About how long is the current reserve time?

Is commuting while on reserve a viable option? (ABE - CVG)

For those who are military reserves, how easy/hard is it to do a significant amount of drilling to stay afloat until the pay becomes reasonable?

Thanks,
tubelo

Commuting on reserve is difficult at best. Junior reserve windows run 14 hours long, and the commuter policy (list on at least two flights, NLT one hour apart, second flight arriving NLT 30 minutes prior to check-in) means that you are going to spend at least one extra night in CVG each reserve period you stand.

Current reserve time doesn't mean much to you, but with steady hiring it's been about 4-6 months. If you are the last one in the door when the music stops, you're on reserve indefinitely. I started flying IOE in Sep '02, and got a line Jan '03. But I also have 300+ guys junior to me.

My reserve buddies say it's not too hard to get extra mil leave, just remember that Comair won't pay you when you're doing your mil duty (something that some folks couldn't figure out), and that you need to give the company sufficient prior notice.

I'm entrenched in my home state (and retired mil to boot), but most folks say either live in your domicile or live at your reserve base. Commuting to both is just too hard.

How about the commute from DTW. I see there are about 9-10 flights a day going to CVG but what are the loads like- is commuting a piece of cake?

What about the staple discussion with Delta mainline? Is that even a remote chance or just interesting discussion? Thanks.

All our loads are improving, but if you're just trying to keep from getting fired, you just need to comply with the commuter policy. If you miss your pairing, you're just losing pay. More frequency is good, as are the 9 daily Comair jumpseats from DTW to CVG (Comair pilots have jumpseat priority by seniority number on our jumpseats, just like everyone else).

There isn't any staple discussion with Delta mainline, just a lot of conjecture on this board. Come to Comair to work at Comair, with the knowledge that you're only to move on to another airline through a resume and an interview. Most of my old mil compatriots who fly at Delta mainline say that that door is closed to Comair pilots, no reason for me to doubt them. Still, I'm happy and satisfied here, you may be too.

 

[sidseal]

I'm doing the ABE "high-speed" this month and we have been about 75% full going out in the evening and just about full coming back in the morning. You wouldn't have a problem getting the jumpseat, though. Hope this helps. By the way, I commute with no problems.

 

[Slim]

If you must commute...commute for a D**N GOOD REASON!

It sounds as though you have one. But, commuting will cost you time each month...time you could be doing something else. I recommend moving to the CVG area.

I spent my first seven months at Comair commuting from DFW. My wife was pregnant with our second child. When her doctor told us it was all right to travel, we moved to CVG. In many cases, it isn't worth the hassle.

I was also in the ARNG at the time and am now retired. Several times, I went to the chief pilots' office with a short notice request for GL (government leave). It was never denied.

WARNING: When you bid for GL, you may wind up on reserve even though your seniority is sufficent to hold a line. The same applies to bidding mandatory days (MD) off. This will make more sense when you learn more about bidding.

Good Luck...fly safe!

 

[Birddog]

slightly off topic....

Any idea how long people are spending in the hiring pool these days? I am anxiously awaiting a class date. They said 6 to 8 weeks at the interview, but I know these things can change. Thanks in advance.

 

[CRJ puppy]

Birddog,

Count on about 8 weeks. They are pretty accurate with their estimates. The only thing that will really speed or slow up that time frame is how long it takes them to complete your background check...that seems to be the deciding factor on whether you are at the long or short end of the waiting period. If they call or write you with additional info needed for the check/verification, get it out quickly. That'll help keep the wait shorter. The only other factor is whether you are an Academy grad or not. They wait until they get a "class" (6-8) of those and put them all together.

Hope that helps.

Cheers and "congrats" at getting hired at CMR!

 

[cathal]

Mil-Bush Pilot- Don't forget that Mesaba, Pinnacle and NWA go to DTW from CVG about 4 or 5 times a day. Mesaba takes as many jumpseaters as we have empty seats, and NWA takes 2 non-NWA pilots as jumpseaters also. I'm not sure about Pinnacle's policy. Want to know where you stand on the stand-by list? go to www.nwa.com/nrev and fill in the fields. just make up some hire date and employee number, and use "9" as your pass priority.
I've taken Comair out of SWF many times and always got on one of the next few flights going to DTW. Thanks guys. Can't wait to sit in your cockpit again.

 

[145EXR]

hey tubelo,

i work for expressjet..we have several flights a day from abe to cle and several from cle-cvg..most cle-cvg flights are about 1.2 full...we take unlimited jumpseaters!

 

[Otto]

Live where your unit is!

Tubelo,
I'm in the ANG and have just finished up my second year with Comair. They were wonderful with working with me on getting time off to fly with the Air Force. My request was never denied and I was never made to feel guilty, like I was spending too much time away from Comair. As soon as I was done with IOE, there were a few months I had to spend as much as half the month away to fly with the mil just to be able to catch up and get all my requirements done for the quarter since I took three months off for training with Comair. Again...no complaints from Comair and they were flexible. I live in the same town as my mil unit and commute to CVG. I think this is the best way to go if you have a reserve commitment as you will have more nights at home. Think about it...if you live in CVG you're gone on trips with Comair AND when you have to fly with the military. If you live where your unit is, you're only gone when flying with Comair. If you have a UTA or you are flying locally, you will be home at night. Just my take on things...good luck!
Otto

 

[RichO]

The Comair Picture

For starters, eveything everyone has said about being on reserve , is true...it's not the funest schedule, but it's a job....nothing like calling in bound and getting the "Have the FO call scheduling...." ouch, it hurts after a while........

As for the commute, during reserve, impossible while your sitting reseve, but many of my crash pad mates went home on their days off just fine....but once you get a line, commuting is a real possibility, just read the posts conerning your location....it sounds like you could always get the jump seat...

Now, for the Guard/Reserve thing.......I've never had any difficultly or heard of it creating any problems when I take mil leave. We're busy fighting a war, is what it comes down too...I think they know that they really can't say anything, especially now, or they will have the JAG in their face. Of course you want to give them as much notice as possible, but sometimes the mission just comes up........once again, they really can't say anything about it....I've actually heard that the gov is coming down hard on companies that don't follow the law......so, long story short, Comair has been great with the mil leave.....I've had to go overseas, and didn't have the greatest notice, but other than the lack of Comair pay, I haven't heard anything about it creating a problem...

so, there's my two cents on the subject, have fun if you decide to go with Comair........ good company.....and a great plane......

 

[tubelo]

Thanks for all the great replies. It has helped immensely. I am writing up my resignation letter for my current job and can't wait to submit it when I get the call for training. We have decided to commute to see how it goes and if we hate it, move to CVG.

thanks,
tubelo