Questions about Reserve at Southwest

[LuckyDad]

Quick question for any of you Southwest Guys...
Are the reserve lines commutable (as far as day-off groupings) and typically how many days off in a reserve line.
Also, what is the callout time?
Thanks...

 

[PTinbound]

I'm just a fellow poolie, so take what I say with a grain of salt, and as always, anyone else feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (like you really have to put that disclaimer on this board!):
I think the reserve lines are usually 4 on, 3 off for most of the month, but then you'll get a string of more days off somewhere in the month to total at least 15 days off for the month. The callout time is 2 hours. The lines aren't commutable per se, though it is possible if you have PM reserve, an easy, short commute, and they don't use you on the last day. I believe PM reserve starts at 11am and goes until sometime in the middle of the gal darn night, but there's some kind of provision that if they don't use you on the last day you can get released at 9 pm. Then, if you are lucky, your charriot home will leave after 9 pm and you are set.
Reserve lines usually credit 90 Trips for pay (TFP's) a month.

 

[ultrapilot]

Reserve Schedule

PTinbound hit it very close on everything he said.
It depends on which base you at for your start time of reserve block. It varies by a few minutes but is all tied to Herb time (CST). AM reserve is usually the hardest to commute because of the early (0300 in MDW) available time but is easier to get home on the last day of your reserve. PM reserve can be easier to commute (1100 in MDW) depending on the city you are commuting from and back to. Does your city have several early and late flights to get you to work and then to get you home?
If you are flown the late day of your reserve then you call scheduling when you return to your base. If you still have time left on your reserve block they may tell you to remain available on your pager until a certain time or release you immediately because nothing else is going on or you are so close on flight time/duty day/crew rest that they can not use you again.
If you do not fly on the last day of your reserve block, then ten hours after you start your day you are automatically released (per the contract). No phone call to scheduling required. That means on an AM reserve that started at 0300, you are released at 1300. PM reserve that started at 1100, you are released at 2100.
So you can see that some reserve blocks are commutable.
As far as which one works for you, you have to bid for which reserve block you would like for the month. AM's, PM's, Mixed. They vary from three to four days on with three to four days off. Some have more days off in a row, five or six days, but then you end up with several reserve days back to back with minimal days off. The tough reserve blocks involve an overlap into the next month with muliple days together. I have had several months with six days in a row on reserve at the end/beginning of the month. That can be a lot of flying or a lot of sitting.
Sorry this is so long but hope it helps.

 

[qxeplt]

Reserve

Does anyone know how long you will be on reserve in OAK and PHX? I know it will change depending on upcoming classes and all, but what is the longest and shortest it has been in the past?

Thanks

 

[packdog]

Six days in a row huh. Try the wonderful system at UPS. Many of our reserve lines go for 16 days in a row. When you're junior and can't control your schedule it is easy to get stuck doing 32 days in a row from one bid period to another. I've spent an entire 32 days overseas without ever getting home. (I lived in Louisville at the time) To make it even better we don't have flights that will get you to Louisville on Sunday or Monday so you're stuck trying to jumpseat a passenger carrier to work if you comute. Have you tried that lately?

Oh one more thing, we have 13 bid periods a year in stead of 12. That's right, we get to work an extra month every year. We do get paid for it but its the screwiest system I've ever seen.

I'll take six days in a row any time.

 

[RJones]

packdog, are UPS or SWA?

RJ

 

[T1bubba]

Oak reserve

qxe,

I seem to recall that when they were running classes of 26 every other week a few people never actually had to sit reserve in OAK because of the way their timing worked out with their one month hard line. So I guess that would be the shortest time. The longest in recent history would be my friend's class in April, he's still on reserve in OAK and will be until the first Jan class hits the line (roughly 8 months).

Don't know about PHX, but MDW and HOU have been going pretty junior also so it wouldn't take long to move elsewhere if that's what you want.

 

[qxeplt]

I'm just hoping for a short reserve stretch on OAK but aren't we all.

Still would be happy flying for SWA even if I had to sit reserve for years...

Thanks T1

 

[UGApilotDAWG]

Good news to hear HOU is going pretty junior. If I can make it in on this wave of hiring life will be pretty darn good 6 days on the "ready" or even longer. I am #150 on our list and according to SWA about 240 or so on their list. I was hoping for 26 a class vs. 20 since LL said I was "on the bubble" for making it in this wave. Good news for everyone ahead of me and congrats on the pool date winners! Also has anyone around my pool # heard anything else about how many total to start up this wave and where the cut off will be?

Thanks!
Les

 

[canyonblue]

Days off depend on days in bid period. In a 31 day period you get 16 days off, in a 30 day period you get 15. Guarantee is then 90 TFP (converts to 79 hrs) or if you have an overlap problem you get 6 TFP for every day added to the line. MDW AM reserve begins at 3:50am till 6:50pm PM reserve is 11:00am till 2:00am. The last day if not used the above periods are 10hrs from start. Commuter policy states you must have tried 2 SWA flights out of your designated SWA city to make your show time. ONLY MX and CNX will cover you, full flights with jumpseats occupied DO NOT. I bid PM reserve as I have 4 flights that will get me to MDW prior to 11am. I also usally get the 10 hour deal and commute home on my last day. 2 hour call out is required and you CANNOT be JA'd (junior available) on reserve. You can, if they ask you or you request, VJA to fly an extra day at time and a half. According to the graph on the SWAPA web site that shows my seniority relative to the company the MOST junior base is OAK then PHX, HOU, MDW in that order. I would expect that order for any new hires as it was the progression I took, except for HOU, to get to MDW. BWI has 16 FO slots open for JAN so thigs may change.

 

[UGApilotDAWG]

I know this is optimistic.. but here goes...
If I make it to class near the end of the hiring phase this spring I realize that I may be commuting to sit reserve in a crash pad in Oakland. If more keep flowing for a while behind me, what is the average estimated time to bid out to HOU? And if I am commuting from MSY can I do that on reserve also? I know I am better off not missing a chance by camping out in Houston but just curious....

Hope everyone can ride the wave into class soon!
Les

 

[JayhawkDude]

UGApilotDAWG-

Also has anyone around my pool # heard anything else about how many total to start up this wave and where the cut off will be?

-Nada. But I'd sure like to...

JayhawkDude, On the Bubble (#150)

P.S. Don't you go taking my Unofficial SWA Poolie Line Number. It's all I've got!

 

[CoopDog]

Come on.....let's get moving here!

UGA, Jayhawk,

I'm just a few cars behind you at this light (the slowest freak'n stoplight I've ever seen too), and I just want to assure you that 99 times out of 100, I catch it red when I get there. So you guys should just squeak through on the yellow just about the time I have to slam on the brakes. It always happens.

Now you might think I'd consider running it, but there's the NDR record check thing. But mostly I get just a little gun shy blasting through at the tail end of a yellow since I've been nailed by 3 idiots running a red over the years, resulting in 2 total losses, the worst being the '68 Camaro convertible that I drove in the homecoming parade. Man that one was really a tough loss; I miss that car. Me, I was OK in each one (walked away each time w/o a scratch), so I'm counting my blessings.

I just hope I don't get rear-ended by the SWA poolies behind me. That could be a massive pile-up.

Coop

ps- At least it wasn't during the parade!

 

[UGApilotDAWG]

Hey I'm not stealing your number - I think someone got into class or bailed out and I moved up to #149...now if that gets me the last spot in the last class in the first wave, it might be worth something! (which probably means I am about 229 now in SWA's real pool!)
Getting printed tomorrow in DAL - I'll see if I can politely inquire more about the fate of our numbers!

Les

 

[Cosmo007]

UGApilotDAWG,

If it helps with your earlier question: I just got based in Houston this month and I have only 3 classes behind me right now. Of course, things are changing with a FO shift toward BWI in Jan. Who knows what will happen with this anticipated expansion.

See you around Corpus (and Dallas, soon).

Cosmo007

 

[RJones]

Cosmo007,

Of course, things are changing with a FO shift toward BWI in Jan. Who knows what will happen with this anticipated expansion.

Does this mean new hires will go to BWI out of class instead of OAK?

RJ

 

[T1bubba]

RJ,

I'd like nothing more than to see new hires go to BWI, but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. The January vacancy bid doesn't have anything to do with the classes that are starting. Between ground school, IOE, and the one month hard line the January new hires won't bid a normal month until April or later.

It will be interesting to see just how junior those BWI slots go, though. For all you folks senior to me, I hear MDW is a fantastic place to be based!!!

T1bubba

 

[RJones]

I'd like to see everyone out of class stay at DAL, however, that's NOT going to happen, so if it's OAK that's fine, BWI... that's going to be fun jumpseating home.

RJ

 

[UGApilotDAWG]

Hey Cosmo-
Did you come out of VT-31 and get hired in the April class with all our other buds? Just wondering who it might be!

Les

 

[Cosmo007]

UGA-

Hard to tell how junior BWI will be. Obviously, I don't have the big picture on expansion at my level. Just keep in mind that no one from the last 5 classes has made it to BWI or MCO yet, so those folks will be bidding in there ahead of any new hires (5 guys in my class still trying to get there). The best thing for everyone down at the bottom is obviously growth.


T1-

I agree that Jan base bid has nothing to do with Jan new hire classes (April will be their first bid period). Just trying to indicate a shift in FO population coming soon, which may break the cycle of everyone junior going west (OAK) and then having to work back to the east (PHX-HOU-MDW-etc.) as has been the case this past year.

Cosmo007