Non-Rev Benefits
11-10-2023, 03:43 AM
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2022
Posts: 856
Follow up question.
What does the quality of life situation look like for both reserve, global reserve, and line holders, in regards to actually being able to use the flight benefits? How difficult would it be for a junior FO to get an 8 or 9 day block off in a row to go non rev somewhere?
What does the quality of life situation look like for both reserve, global reserve, and line holders, in regards to actually being able to use the flight benefits? How difficult would it be for a junior FO to get an 8 or 9 day block off in a row to go non rev somewhere?
That said, splitting a block over two schedule periods defintely the easiest way to go.
8-9 days off as a reserve in one month is hard if not impossible because you then have to squeeze 16-18 days of 117 compliant work blocks into the rest of the month. Also leaves the rest of your schedule as a mess. If you live in base it might work, otherwise you won't see your spouse/kids/dogs for the whole months between work and exploring Thailand.
6-7 days would be vastly more doable. (South America is a great no-jet lag option for short trips).
11-10-2023, 04:01 AM
#12
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2023
Posts: 80
Not sure there's much difference here between AA/UA/DL
That said, splitting a block over two schedule periods defintely the easiest way to go.
8-9 days off as a reserve in one month is hard if not impossible because you then have to squeeze 16-18 days of 117 compliant work blocks into the rest of the month. Also leaves the rest of your schedule as a mess. If you live in base it might work, otherwise you won't see your spouse/kids/dogs for the whole months between work and exploring Thailand.
6-7 days would be vastly more doable. (South America is a great no-jet lag option for short trips).
That said, splitting a block over two schedule periods defintely the easiest way to go.
8-9 days off as a reserve in one month is hard if not impossible because you then have to squeeze 16-18 days of 117 compliant work blocks into the rest of the month. Also leaves the rest of your schedule as a mess. If you live in base it might work, otherwise you won't see your spouse/kids/dogs for the whole months between work and exploring Thailand.
6-7 days would be vastly more doable. (South America is a great no-jet lag option for short trips).
11-10-2023, 05:42 AM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,383
I'm still at a regional, but when I was junior and on reserve. I would sometimes bid, and edit my shedule of 12 days off for the month as 6 days on 1 off. I would do that for 3 weeks in a row and have the last 9 days off of the month in a row. I was just wondering if thats possible here. Flight benefit and the ability to use them are a major factor for me
when you get a line, depending on NB vs WB, it will take some creative biding, then maybe some creative trading, but it’s certainly doable.
I managed two blocks of 8 days off last month (NB lineholder).
11-10-2023, 05:47 AM
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2020
Posts: 1,920
Not sure there's much difference here between AA/UA/DL
That said, splitting a block over two schedule periods defintely the easiest way to go.
8-9 days off as a reserve in one month is hard if not impossible because you then have to squeeze 16-18 days of 117 compliant work blocks into the rest of the month. Also leaves the rest of your schedule as a mess. If you live in base it might work, otherwise you won't see your spouse/kids/dogs for the whole months between work and exploring Thailand.
6-7 days would be vastly more doable. (South America is a great no-jet lag option for short trips).
That said, splitting a block over two schedule periods defintely the easiest way to go.
8-9 days off as a reserve in one month is hard if not impossible because you then have to squeeze 16-18 days of 117 compliant work blocks into the rest of the month. Also leaves the rest of your schedule as a mess. If you live in base it might work, otherwise you won't see your spouse/kids/dogs for the whole months between work and exploring Thailand.
6-7 days would be vastly more doable. (South America is a great no-jet lag option for short trips).
11-10-2023, 06:28 AM
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Posts: 305
Not the barnstormer reason to come to DL, but at least at Delta you are not required to bid for rest periods in your "on call" days, so unless you are "unstacked" into a holiday or specific weekend you tried to avoid, you can bid every month for your reserve days to all be in a row. It at least guarantees you a couple of free days of no duty as the company has to make sure you have your 30hrs of rest on your schedule once they start using you.
On the basic categories at UAL, you can occasionally manipulate your schedule around to get a 30/168 “break,” but that generally involves shenanigans in the actual operation rather than something you bid for. Our PBS requires you to stack at least two days off together per block (with an exception that you can do a single day off by itself if it’s the first one of the month, for some reason).
Global reserve day off patterns are more complicated, and we’re gaining some flexibility there under the new contract, but I’m 99.9% sure it’s the same in that our global bidders have to build FAR-compliant day off periods rather than generally being released for a reset in the operation.
11-10-2023, 06:29 AM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2015
Posts: 315
Not the barnstormer reason to come to DL, but at least at Delta you are not required to bid for rest periods in your "on call" days, so unless you are "unstacked" into a holiday or specific weekend you tried to avoid, you can bid every month for your reserve days to all be in a row. It at least guarantees you a couple of free days of no duty as the company has to make sure you have your 30hrs of rest on your schedule once they start using you.
11-10-2023, 06:30 AM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2015
Posts: 272
I'm still at a regional, but when I was junior and on reserve. I would sometimes bid, and edit my shedule of 12 days off for the month as 6 days on 1 off. I would do that for 3 weeks in a row and have the last 9 days off of the month in a row. I was just wondering if thats possible here. Flight benefit and the ability to use them are a major factor for me
11-10-2023, 06:38 AM
#18
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2023
Posts: 80
Our initial bidding rules are pretty strict and won’t let you do that. I tried calling our futures desk recently to swap reserve days that would give me 1 day off and they said they couldn’t do it and I’d have to go through the CPO for approval. There is language in UPA23 to “test” compressed reserve, but I wouldn’t put money on it actually happening. A good schedule is always one sick call away though.
11-10-2023, 07:03 AM
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2015
Posts: 272
There was a large number of things that could have been negotiated to make reserve more appealing. Instead they threw some money at it and gave the company leverage to force new hires into the left seat. Same way they have solved issues with global reserve the last few years- throw the new hires into it.
With all that said, as long as the pace of hiring continues as is, you can quickly gain seniority in the right seat and manipulate your schedule pretty well. Still wouldn’t call it industry leading, but it’s still possible.
With all that said, as long as the pace of hiring continues as is, you can quickly gain seniority in the right seat and manipulate your schedule pretty well. Still wouldn’t call it industry leading, but it’s still possible.
11-10-2023, 07:15 AM
#20
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2023
Posts: 80
There was a large number of things that could have been negotiated to make reserve more appealing. Instead they threw some money at it and gave the company leverage to force new hires into the left seat. Same way they have solved issues with global reserve the last few years- throw the new hires into it.
With all that said, as long as the pace of hiring continues as is, you can quickly gain seniority in the right seat and manipulate your schedule pretty well. Still wouldn’t call it industry leading, but it’s still possible.
With all that said, as long as the pace of hiring continues as is, you can quickly gain seniority in the right seat and manipulate your schedule pretty well. Still wouldn’t call it industry leading, but it’s still possible.
I'll just have to hope for that second part, gaining senoirty quickly. Whats the ballpark amount of time right now for someone on NB reserve before getting a line at an east coast base? a few months, a year?
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