mcfadden

Do you live in base?

C17B74

I see your point regarding R2 or R1, or if bidding Reserve and you live locally, but I never bid Reserve even when I was local. You’re most likely not the current or maybe former #1 ANC FO from many moons ago who gave me some very specific advice. If so, thank you as I use his given mindset quite often and his schedule was impressive pulling off 88 days off consecutively year after year and basically “gone fishing” for most of it (I will call him Fish for future reference). Some do well splitting their vaca amongst 3 independent months using the slip-n-slide maneuver so as you know that knocks out up to 10 days if you get it right thru bidding (Hit or miss I never leave more 3 days available on one side, usually 2 to be sure). “Fish” on the other hand recommended using full month vaca and only on back to back 31 day months, i.e.- Dec/Jan or Jul/Aug in his case to maximize time off. Fly first half of July, Off Aug, Fly back half of Sep. I am not referencing any use of sick days (I actually do get sick), but some have some unique techniques as you know. Conflict bid training twice a year=Always, so that brings me home early planning it right. Never leave a GDO on the table. Looking at my records for 2020, looks like 132 worked and basically 233 off (Sick once, I do remember that) not super fantastic, but definitely comfortable. Bottom line, you may owe the company 17 days, so true - but the bases seem to be different. HSV was the best for years (speaking for me) as I drove in and there were 14 sometimes only 15 day lines. My next base usually pushes the 17, but I shoot for the 15-16 day anomalies, rarely do 60 day lines unless something funky shows up. This month I did get the shorter line that existed. Yup I sometimes leave the night before, but I arrive back in base early AM so going directly home by 3PM isn’t bad at all. Bases are definitely different, but I see they are becoming more efficient on the front/back end. MIA, that’s a different story from what I gather. Your insights? Feel free to PM me as I most definitely can learn more from you or those much more savvy.

Note: No mil leave available for use or sick days used out of context. My FedEx and Legacy buds seem to do better, but that’s a known quantity.

tankerdude

I do not. If its a question about gateway vs jumpseating, I haven't had any issues with it (yet) and i can show up inside that 10 hour policy that atlas travel loved so much. I just bid commutable trips. If I choose to do a carribbean trip or something with a longer beach layover, ill just go in the night before and get a hotel room. Well worth it. Its a night and day difference in how we are treated at a legacy compared to the constant fights at atlas

mcfadden

You said you work less. As in, fewer days at work or you fly less? About how many days are you gone per month counting your travel days? I'm curious how it compares to Atlas.

tankerdude

Fewer days. 12 days gone this month including travel days. That always seemed to be the sticking point for the Atlas "lifers". Gateway was nice with a paid ticket but that was a good perk at at crappy operation.

mcfadden

Is that a typical month though? How many days are you gone, including travel, on average every month? Are you just getting minimum guarantee for that? You must have an easy one leg commute to only work 12 days with travel.

tankerdude

I'll just put it this way. I'm gone fewer days than when I flew for Atlas. Gateway was nice, but that always added a day at the beginning of my 15-17 days of work (more if i worked more than 1 block).
yes, I do a 1 leg commute that is pretty easy.
The old saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" is pretty applicable. If you have the means to leave Atlas, that's been the going mentality since I got there in 2013. The difference in leaving was literally more than a million $$. I could go on and on about trip trading, pickups/drops, vacation, pay rates etc... but some folks are hung up on the possibility of having to jumpseat to work and possibly working one more day

Roverruckus

Yeah, you can just buy all the tickets to your commute and still come out way ahead.

mcfadden

Thanks for the information. You fly for a legacy carrier? About how many paid hours a month do you get on average in a year with the type of schedule you're on now?

Globemaster2827

At FedEx you really don't have to do that though... The jumpseats on company are usually wide open. You just jumpseat in to work and you're protected by the contract. I'd much rather jumpseat on FedEx than those brutal coach tickets going JAN-DFW-PHX-ANC. The domestic guys will jumpseat in for a flight and go straight to work. They don't even need crashpads or airport cars.

My first crash pad at FedEx was $250 a month. Because of imputed income it's more expensive to commute to Atlas for many.... Then FedEx paid to move me to MEM so I no longer even have to commute. It really should be a no brainer.