LFGM22

How many days off can you get if you trip touch? I'm coming from the 91/135 world so I also have no clue what trip touching is. Is that basically working back to back trips to get more days off inbetween?

cryinginahotel

Great reply. Here's another question. Are you enjoying it for the most part? 12-13 days off a month seems pretty reasonable. What time do you usually start day 1 and end day 4?

Tileguy2023

Hard to touch trips with 135 regs. You could try to drop and pick-up but it isn't easy. I would say almost impossible to get more than 5 days off in a row regardless of what you do.

Tileguy2023

start and end depends. some trips are "commutable" so you start around noon on day 1, end early afternoon day 4, but expect every day to start earlier and earlier to make that happen.

other trips will start around the same time each day

you will be able to look for early starts or late starts but even within the course of a month, one trip may be early starts, another trip can be late starts.

Njflyguy

What does a junior FO reserve schedule look like? Is it still bid as a line, but just without actual trips?
Example:
Day 1: OFF
Day 2: RSRV
Day 3: RSRV
Day 4: RSRV
Day 5: RSRV
Day 6: OFF
Day 7: OFF
etc....

Or something different? If i'm not called up on days 1-4, would I then be given opportuntiy to pick up trips on my days off? If so how would that affect my future RSRV days on the schedule?

Once holding a line, I read up thread that weekends will be common for junior. That's actually what i prefer. A 4 day trip running Thur-Sun or Fri-Mon would be perfect (in my world). Even better would be early starts on all 4 days. If we're at outstations each night, and those have 5-6am departures the next morning back to CLT/PHL, I'd expect wer'e done flying those days by dinner time to give ample time for rest to return to airport ~4am. I'm a long time business traveler and always enjoyed the early flights mainly because they're the least likely to be delayed.

SoccerCoachT

Are you actually flying on reserve or sitting in a hotel/crashpad days at a time?

Njflyguy

On reserve, home based 30 mintues from home to airport.

Zulu98

I start class next month, curious how buliding your schedule works. Are you able to swap reserve and off days?
Assuming I will be PHL based, are people being used most of their reserve days?
Lastly, does PDT have a bid for first/last to be called?

gearupdude

If you have a line you’ll be given 48 hours to swap your schedule with opentime trips, all based in seniority. If you get a Relief (REL) line (partial reserve and some trips) you have to wait until it’s published. Reserve (RSV) gets what they get but both REL and RSV can ask for a set of 4 days, or 2 and 2, off when bidding. That of course is based on seniority and the needs for RSV coverage. Normally you can’t swap trips for RSV days and vice versa. PHL and CLT also have active reserve (8 hours) up to 8 days a month that you have to sit at the crew room and do
whatever…