Commute to hold a line vs. living in base on reserve?

[SpauldingSmails]

An OK flying job at home, beats the pants off commuting for a slightly less crappy one.

Learn your reserve rules front and back, most guys don't seem to know them; use them to your advantage, you (or someone) bargained for those rules.

Depending on your airline's staffing and open-time rules, you could do just as well financially at home on reserve than with a line whilst being home more often.

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

I'm sitting rsv in IAH with a 1hr drive to work. I was dreading reserve and didn't want to commute to it again. That's why I bypassed upgrade for a bit. That said, under our work rules at xjt living in base being on reserve is not bad! The only reason I'd ever consider commuting to a line is if I needed the money. 75hrs vs 90+ is a big difference in pay. But man I'm home a lot! I love it when they don't call me. My vote, stay put unless you need the extra money.. Adding a commute on top of work when you can drive is insane.

 

[filejw]

From an old timer. Commuting ruins a substantial portion of your family/life time. If you can't move to a base don"t take the job. It ruins lives families and relationships with your kids.......

 

[ASA_DFW]

Stay at home and be on reserve. Your QOL will be soooo much better. Things always get screwed up when you commute (wx, mtc, schedule changes, etc). Just think about all the time and money wasted commuting. It might negate some of the extra money you earn holding a line schedule. At my old airline, I used to commute LGA to DFW. I would waste half a day each way. The days commuting add up. Now I live in base, sit reserve and love it.

 

[ERfly]

I'm sitting rsv in IAH with a 1hr drive to work. I was dreading reserve and didn't want to commute to it again. That's why I bypassed upgrade for a bit. That said, under our work rules at xjt living in base being on reserve is not bad! The only reason I'd ever consider commuting to a line is if I needed the money. 75hrs vs 90+ is a big difference in pay. But man I'm home a lot! I love it when they don't call me. My vote, stay put unless you need the extra money.. Adding a commute on top of work when you can drive is insane.

Can you convince your fellow IAH brethren to do the same instead of chase a line to ORD, make everyone miserable a bump those of us that want to be there way down the list?

 

[booo]

Too many variables to really answer; different companies, different rules, different needs.

At one point company had 60 crews/9 hard lines in base. Reserve was gravy.

Another time, not much later, same company had no reserves in any base. The guys that knew the flaws in the contract and manipulated crew scheduling made out big: They would go 30/7 as fast as possible, get paid for a scheduled day of reserve that they could not fly, pick up open time on scheduled day off at 1.5 rate, making it easier to time out on their next reserve sequence, got paid for 2 days of scheduled reserve, and work for 1.5 rate on their days off a gain. They flew 70 hours a month, billed 100-140 hours (yes 140) They usually wound up with 3-4 days off more than minimum and equal to senior line holders Their goal was to leave the house and not come home till they timed out. Hard to have a "schedule" that meant nothing to the wife, but TT at home made up for it.

Reserve, living in base, beats commuting if you really work at playing the "reserve card".

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

Can you convince your fellow IAH brethren to do the same instead of chase a line to ORD, make everyone miserable a bump those of us that want to be there way down the list?

Depends. If they are senior to me I'd rather they stay up in ORD, CLE, EWR.... Gotta love the line chasers.

I've pretty much come to the realization I'll be on reserve in IAH until I move on to another airline. Too many ultra senior never gonna leave guys here.

 

[jws717]

Take the line, then swap for trips in the domocile of your choice.

 

[Baronman]

Stay home.

 

[IBNAV8R]

Depends on reserve policies. Reserve at home beats commuting to a crappy line. An easy commute to a good line beats reserve at home. A crappy commute to a great line is kind of a wash. BUT, bidding reserve at home only to get constantly TDY'd for reserve REALLY SUCKS!!!