On the road questions...

[G100driver]

Sounds good. I do not know when we are going to be back in Switerland, however. I guess we will see where the snow is this year.

If we go back I will have to get the info on the blond brew pub. 2 things I like!

 

[2000flyer]

Hey Diesel, how was your last trip over? Everything go as planned?

London is ok but one of those "been there, done that" cities. Just too darn big and busy. I prefer staying out in the country if possible. It's too easy to jump on the train into the city for a day. Next trip I'm going to try and catch and EasyJet to Scotland or Ireland for a few days rather than sit in London.

We learned never to go "economy" rates on hotels outside the US. You'll just end up changing once you get there. It's better to pay a little more and have an enjoyable and relaxing hotel IMHO.

2000Flyer

 

[Diesel]

Yeah trip went fine. Only good thing in gander is the icecream.

I've got a picture that i'll have to post one day of a hotel room in copenhagen that was a best western. It was so small that i could reach my arms across and touch both walls.

The tv was like a 12 inch tv but it was so close to your face it was like a big screen.

Rooms are small enough in europe as is. Economy rates gets you the janitors closet. Although i'll never understand why getting in the shower has be a gymnastic event.

 

[banned username 2]

What kind of hotels do you guys stay in while on the road?

Typically Marriott's, if one isn't available then usually Hilton's, Hyatt's or something of that level... Never a Motel 6 or any crap like that... We get to keep all the hotel points...

Does your boss expect you to share a room with the other pilot?

God NO! No way, no how, never...

When you get airlined, is it customary to fly in first or business class seat or do you go in the back? Does it even matter?

If the flight is less than 6 hours, coach; over 6 hours, Business Class if it is available... International travel is always Business Class... We get to keep the Airline Miles...

Per diem vs. company credit card? Which one do you prefer?

Expense account... All expenses are fully reimbursed (except entertainment: i.e. Movies, Golf, etc...) Per Diem rarely would ever cover your meals completely, unless you eat at McDonald's a lot...

Do you share a rental car with the other guy or do each of you rent your own?

Typically, yes, we share a rental car... Sometimes if there is some type of extenuating circumstance each guy may rent his own car...

I'm looking for the "industry-standard" answers..

Don't know if my answers as "Industry Standard" but it is what we do, and seems to be pretty common with the other large Flight Departments... Remember, in Corporate Aviation, there is no such thing as "Industry Standard"...

Hope this helps...

 

[AA717driver]

I've got a picture that i'll have to post one day of a hotel room in copenhagen that was a best western. It was so small that i could reach my arms across and touch both walls.

The tv was like a 12 inch tv but it was so close to your face it was like a big screen.

Rooms are small enough in europe as is. Economy rates gets you the janitors closet. Although i'll never understand why getting in the shower has be a gymnastic event.

Diesel--If you liked that , you'd love any of the "Jolly" hotels in Italy. All that you described and run down to boot! TC

 

[prpjt]

We're a small operation and we do things pretty much like the others.

Hotel- Hilton, Marriott, Embassy

Absolutely no room sharing.

It is very rare that we are on an airline. When we do, it's the cheap seats. If I were going overseas to look at a plane or something I'd upgrade.

Company credit card with no limitations. I imagine that if we were hitting it for $300 dinners every night that would change. The occasional high dollar meal with a good bottle of wine has never raised any eyebrows.

Shared rent car.

 

[501261]

What kind of hotels do you guys stay in while on the road?

Upscale, but not luxury, usually Hiltons or Westins

Does your boss expect you to share a room with the other pilot?

Share a room? You can't be serious, maybe if my wife's coming along I MIGHT share a room .

When you get airlined, is it customary to fly in first or business class seat or do you go in the back? Does it even matter?

Over 5 hours, or international- business class or better. Does it matter no, not really unless you're doing a bunch of international repositioning of crews. With all the RJ's out there it's almost impossible to get first class anyway, and even if you find a domestic first fare, all it takes is one missed connection and the "next available" flight will probably be on an RJ.

Per diem vs. company credit card? Which one do you prefer?

Company Card, you're supposed to pay taxes on per diem .

Do you share a rental car with the other guy or do each of you rent your own?

Usually share (we're going to the same place normally), but not a problem to get two if needed.

 

[xdrvr]

DONT ever agree to sharing rooms, that will set the (low) benchmark and who knows what the owner will start asking for next.. We usually stay at the Hiltons or Marriotts -- get yourself enrolled in the frequent guest programs --even if you find a chain that you don't stay in a lot... still enroll a lot of them can be transferred to airlines miles. My family reaps the rewards --free vacations and nights in nice hotels. My wife took charge of this --I guess it helps the downside of being away from home all of the hotels that I stay at with the exception of Hilton and Marriott get converted into airline points.

We fly coach and direct if we can help it. It's a rev ticket so you sit where you would normally sit. Is it just me or do the FA's treat you better if you arent in uniform? haha! oh ya I'm an elite memb with AWA so I get free upgrades if avail --so far have been pretty lucky in that dept. Print your boarding pass and get seat assignment the night before -- I always try for an aisle, NEVER check your bags and exit rows are good for long legs (yours and the route)

Per diem (higher if we're out of the country even Mexico) and we have a company card --but the per diem overrides meal expenses vs company card. Airline tickets, recurrent expenses -hotel/car are direct billed.

We are expected to share a car.. a lot of FBO's have courtesy crew cars. We have to have creative reasons to get the company to pay for a rental car.

My best tip I could give you about all of this is get yourself a credit card that has a rewards system with it and use it for all of your reimbursable expenses. For example if you stay at a Hilton you'll be "triple dippin" you can get Hilton points, airline points and whatever reward program you have on the cc will also be accumulating. Believe me, even when you're at six figs and a decent schedule you're always looking for the perks .. helps justify the road lifestyle... good luck!

 

[2000flyer]

Yeah trip went fine. Only good thing in gander is the icecream.

I've got a picture that i'll have to post one day of a hotel room in copenhagen that was a best western. It was so small that i could reach my arms across and touch both walls.

The tv was like a 12 inch tv but it was so close to your face it was like a big screen.

Rooms are small enough in europe as is. Economy rates gets you the janitors closet. Although i'll never understand why getting in the shower has be a gymnastic event.

I know the feeling. We stayed at an economy hotel in London once. First indication of trouble was the stench of unwashed bodies from the hotel staff. Second indication of things to come was the one person elevator. Got to my room and the door wouldn't open all the way. Someone thought they needed another chair in a 6'x10' room. From The door to the bed was a step and a half. The bed was like the old hospital beds with the tray over the foot, except they called it the "entertainment" center as thats where the 12" TV sat. It was one step to the bath room. To sit on the john, you had to slide your legs under the sink, ala tv tray. To use the sink you had to straddle the commode. I guess I could have multi-tasked had I thought of it :laugh: . When you used the shower, you sprayed the entire bathroom and if you forgot to put a towel by the door, you had a wet bedroom floor. We stayed one night and relocated ASAP the next morning.

2000Flyer

 

[HMR]

...Oh, never mind. You guys don't believe me anyway...