From what I understand the long term plan is to get all the planes on a Jetride model. Which means 3 pilots per plane, 2 weeks on call one week off, based all over the country. I think the plan is to start by moving PA planes to current Jetride bases or use capital that might be avaiable now to purchase more aircraft and position them in various cities. JR has lost a couple managed planes recently so Ontario, CA and Columbus and Lanncaster, PA are the spots that need filling first.
Honestly I am quite suprised the PA pilots aren't asking more questions about this. It is quite possible your planes are going to be moving, which means you would be too. That would be a huge deal to me. Enough to start looking for work elsewhere. They might allow some of the current PA pilots to stay on reserve, and live where you live now, at Jetride the reserve schedule is 8 days on 6 days off.
Here is the other thing you guys keep talking about the $50 day pay like its extra per diem but its not, its part of your salery structure. At least the way I understand it. We don't have day pay. So when you say you end up $30 ahead are you including that $50 in which case same scenario for a Jetride pilot you end up $20 in the hole per day. I would also like to know how much the company paid for the rental car to save the money on the hotels, not to mention the increased call out time because you were further from the airport.
I don't really consider a Super 8 free breakfast a free breakfast. Not when as a Diamond Hilton member I can get Eggs, Bacon, etc. for free vs. the Bagel, Cherrios and Apple I get at something like a Super 8. Finally, as far as getting screwed on the TEX trip I would have assumed I would be able to call the company and just have them pick up the hotel for us. That what I was told they would do for us. If I end up down in Cabo during the season its $400 per night minimum unless you want to stay somewhere reallly scary. I was told by Walt that in a case like that the company would pay for it on the credit card, that TEX trip sounds very similar.
One more thing, food for thought for the PA crews. In the TEX example under the current Jetride system a trip to TEX would have been $184 in per diem, $46 (high city) x 4, we would have stayed in one of the $200 hotels in TEX close to the airport and avaiable to make a 2 hour call out window. We also would have gotten a rental car because we were going to be there more than 36 hours. You guys at PA might bank a little more in your pocket at the end of the month but I would argue that currently the JR pilots might have a little bit better QOL on the road. We still get to keep all the hotel points etc. I just plan on useing them for a family vacation not to bank for a free night here or there so I can pocket the per diem.