Comair to DFW

[glasscockpit]

back to the original topic

Understand you can sit on reserve for as little as 7 months, or as much as 21!!! But how many hours a month can you actually average during all your reserve experience?
And also, can you easily pick up time?

Thanks...

 

[Caveman]

Things at Comair are still in a huge state of flux because of the strike and growth. It's all good, but it's awful tough to give you any averages. I finished IOE on Thanksgiving Day. I was about 30 numbers short of a line for March. I have a realistic shot at a line in April and a real good shot for May. That would make it about 5 months or so on reserve.

While on reserve you get a 75 hour minimum guarantee, so unless you are trying to build flight time money isn't an issue. You are going to get paid at least the 75 no matter what.

There are a lot of newhires currently in training and IOE so flying while on reserve is scarce unless you are trying to make the FAA mandated 100 hours in 120 days. In that the case you go to the head of the line until you get your 100. After that it slows down real quick. We also have a choice to 'bid to fly'. What that does is reverse the seniority while on reserve. Instead of calling the junior guy out for a trip they pick the most senior guy that has bid to fly. Of course they still pick the guys needing their initial 100 hours first. I've been bidding to fly and I'm averaging about 35 hours flight time a month.

It's nearly impossible for a reserve pilot to pick up open time. You can only accept open time that won't affect your reserve availability. That means you basically can only take open time on your 'hard' days off and you still can't exceed the 30 in 7 rule, no more than 6 duty days in a row, etc, etc. It's very impractical to get all the planets lined up to take advantage of open time while on reserve.

I hope this helps.

 

[glasscockpit]

Good info!

Thank you! that was good info! I gather: 5/6 months on reserve, avrage 35 hrs, 200 hrs or so total flying during reserve.
Do you know what the average to upgrade is these days?
And are they talking about these times getting lower with the expansion in progress (reserve time and upgrade)?

Thanks for the precious info!!! It's always hard to compare and decide between two airlines...

 

[Guam360]

Glasscockpit,
the most recent bid came out a week or two ago and the most junior award for the 50 seater is exactly at 24 months. That person may finish training in the summer.

we are supposed to receive up to about 30 more aircraft this year. so the numbers add up to about 210 more captains. My guess is that it will go fairly junior, who knows down to 18 months.

good luck!

 

[glasscockpit]

Thanks!

24 months or less to upgrade....

Thank you for the Comair info...