Pilot cell phone reimbursment question

[TailDraggerTed]

What do your companies do to reimburse you for your personal cell phone use and/or calling cards? My boss asked me to get a sample of different policies so we could create one.

Submitting edited phone bills has gotten a little crazy, so we are trying to figure out a plan thats fair for everyone. Any ideas or experiences? Thanks.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

well...since cell plans are so cheap these days - why not just get the 4 billion minute plan for 49$ and submit that. end of delemia. Tell each pilot to pick a plan that works best around thier domicile and go for it.

Now, you start lots of overseas you may get some lofty bills..but domestic is so cheap now who really cares?

just an idea.

 

[falcondriver]

My company gives us 70 dollars a month.
FD

 

[hawkercpt]

have them

just buy you guys a cell plan. There are so many to choose from these days. We are getting some deal from Verizon and they(the company) are giving us each Blackberry units. They're supposed to the latest and greatest pager/e-mail/cell phone units. Don't know how much they are paying though.

 

[TailDraggerTed]

Thanks for the info. I know what we CAN do, but I needed to hear what is currently being done at other charter and fractional companies. Thanks again.

 

[Dep676]

Re: have them

Don't know how much they are paying though.

Knowing the company probably paying through the nose for them. And for what so they can get rid of people in the OCC. Then we rely on these "blackberrys". I stll think you need to talk to a real person and not get something from a pager. Just wait until the CAMP goes down again and your balckberry goes blank. Then what?

They are probably saving money in one area while wasting it in another. Just like taxis verses rental cars.

 

[Dep676]

How can they say you can't use them for personal use? When we were told that the phone cards are going away once everyone has a blackberry. That is the VM I heard.

 

[THE Flying Ace]

I work for a corporation, but we just pick whatever plan works best for us. We then use our company credit cards to pay the monthly bill and turn in the front page of the bill with our monthly expenses.

Doesn't matter if it is personal or business calls. They just take care of the whole bill.

 

[Dep676]

I am not saying I don't believe you. All I can go by is what our CP said. I ask again what happens when the phone cards go away?

 

[JetCapt69]

Ya Don't believe me unh!!

Thor --- You get 1000 minutes per month on that blackberry for voice calls. Once the phone cards are gone, you can use it for limited personal calls during your DUTY DAYS only, not for use when you are off duty.

When I say 'limited', it is implied that you are going to be using it to call home to the family, not calling all of your buddies.

That is the latest and greatest news that was on a recent voice mail from my PM. This info. comes from big Joe.

 

[JetCapt69]

don't you have a phone at home? what the heck would you need to use it at home for? personal calls? come-on....gimme a break.

 

[msw]

What's a Blackberry?

I admit I'm an old guy. I remember when computers filled a whole building and you interfaced with them via punch-cards. I'm still getting used to e-mail. I remember when outer marker outbound was called "high station".

So can one of you young whippersnappers tell me what is a Blackberry and what it does?

 

[aeronautic1]

The old days

Yeah, and when I was in the Coast Guard, I served on a lightship and Ocean Station November (anyone remember this?) between the west coast and Hawaii. These young know it all punks... give me a wiz wheel and a stop watch any day. Electronic feldercarb!! My first phone was two soup cans and a string!!! The first two digits in a phone number were associatied with a name like ALhambra 2-6996. And we had black and white TV... and LIKED IT!!!

 

[FltOps]

That was not that long ago. Good old days...
We could trust people back then...

 

[aeronautic1]

yeah...

... and pilots were an asset, not fodder.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

My understanding is the SICs still receive the phone cards, PICs do not. They get to use the Blackberry. In our fleet, our PMs said we can still use the Blackberrys for personal calls. They haven't put a restriction on it, yet. XPs are limited, we aren't. At least we are consistent!!

 

[JetCapt69]

voice message

Joe put out a message that said "all" pilots were getting the blackberry's (for you old folks, that is a personal data assistant (PDA) that is also a cell phone.

The distribution began with PM's, check airman, PIC's then SIC's.

From what I heard from OCC, many times a crew has been put on standby, then they are not able to be reached while hanging out at the beach or where ever. So with the blackberry, it is to take place of personal phones, pagers, etc. It can be used for personal phone calls while on duty (no phone card), but each blackberry has a total of 1000 minutes. Blackberry to blackberry calls are unlimited, any other call is deducted from the 1000 minutes.

Keep in mind, this is info from the OCC, so take it for what it's worth. I have heard it from other sources too.

 

[GREAT LAKES]

Ori
don't you have a phone at home? what the heck would you need to use it at home for? personal calls? come-on....gimme a break.

Well I don't have a "phone" to my house. I built my house 3400' back into my property. Verizon wanted $2800 to put a phone line in. So we use Starband for internet and use cell phones. My company pays for a cell that I can use as much as I want. Our plan has 1000 any time min and unlimited nights and weekends, plus unlimited nationwide direct connect. No brainer.

 

[JetCapt69]

Great Lakes

Sounds like you should have looked into the phone service before building a house back in the boonies. I don't blame you though in that situation.

Do you work for Options? That comment was intended for the whining Options guy. No one is happy until the world is handed to them on a silver platter. We could have the best aircraft, the best contract, the best uniforms, the best crew meals, the highest pay in the industry, the most days off, the least days working, first class seats to and from work, 5 star hotels, personal massage therapists in our rooms, etc. etc. etc.

And you know what? Someone would complain that their salad was not crisp enough. Get my point?