Guam to Cairns?
03-04-2013, 03:21 AM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: Left seat of a big one.
Posts: 120
Guam to Cairns?
I've been thinking of applying at UAL and would appreciate some advice from some of the (currently CAL) Guam based pilots.
Assuming I'm fortunate enough to get offered a position, I'm contemplating bidding into a Guam base. My wife is Australian and is finishing her degree from Oz. It's taking a looong time, so we were thinking that if I were to be Guam based she'd stay in Cairns with the kids and would study full time for a couple of years to finish her degree. That would also allow us some additional income (2nd yr pay + 36K) to soften the financial blow of being a new hire. I see there are only two flights per week from CNS-GUM so I wouldn't be commuting exactly, but rather getting to CNS when I get a sufficient block of days off and she'd come with the kids to Guam on the kids' school breaks. My questions for those more knowledgeable:
1) How are CNS/GUM loads typically? Would finding seats be feasible?
2) Do any other CAL/UAL guys 'commute' between these two places?
3) Is riding in the flight deck (CASS) possible between Oz and Guam? I'm unsure if this common practice is permitted in Australia.
4) Is the CNS/GUM route 'stable', meaning has it been around for a while and not likely to be cancelled? I'd hate to pin my lifestyle on a tenuous 2 flight per week link only to discover that the route is seasonal or permanently cancelled and my ride between the two places is terminated.
5) How would going back and forth fit in with the commuter policy at UAL? My understanding is that you always have to have a flight + backup to get to work. Could these be on different days? For example, could my ride to work from CNS be the Friday night flight and if I get bumped my backup is the Sunday night flight? Or would even considering doing this find me a quick trip to the chief pilot's office for a head examination?
All of this depends on getting and interview and job offer, both of which are clearly not imminent. I think I've got a pretty competitive resume and am assuming I'd eventually get an interview , although this might be a long time in the future. I'm just trying to gather info now.
Thanks very much for your replies.
Assuming I'm fortunate enough to get offered a position, I'm contemplating bidding into a Guam base. My wife is Australian and is finishing her degree from Oz. It's taking a looong time, so we were thinking that if I were to be Guam based she'd stay in Cairns with the kids and would study full time for a couple of years to finish her degree. That would also allow us some additional income (2nd yr pay + 36K) to soften the financial blow of being a new hire. I see there are only two flights per week from CNS-GUM so I wouldn't be commuting exactly, but rather getting to CNS when I get a sufficient block of days off and she'd come with the kids to Guam on the kids' school breaks. My questions for those more knowledgeable:
1) How are CNS/GUM loads typically? Would finding seats be feasible?
2) Do any other CAL/UAL guys 'commute' between these two places?
3) Is riding in the flight deck (CASS) possible between Oz and Guam? I'm unsure if this common practice is permitted in Australia.
4) Is the CNS/GUM route 'stable', meaning has it been around for a while and not likely to be cancelled? I'd hate to pin my lifestyle on a tenuous 2 flight per week link only to discover that the route is seasonal or permanently cancelled and my ride between the two places is terminated.
5) How would going back and forth fit in with the commuter policy at UAL? My understanding is that you always have to have a flight + backup to get to work. Could these be on different days? For example, could my ride to work from CNS be the Friday night flight and if I get bumped my backup is the Sunday night flight? Or would even considering doing this find me a quick trip to the chief pilot's office for a head examination?
All of this depends on getting and interview and job offer, both of which are clearly not imminent. I think I've got a pretty competitive resume and am assuming I'd eventually get an interview , although this might be a long time in the future. I'm just trying to gather info now.
Thanks very much for your replies.
03-04-2013, 05:44 AM
#2
On Reserve
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Posts: 17
I will try to answer a few of these for you. I have considered a similar deal as I have Aussie residency. It has been a year or so since I looked into doing this, and I am now IAH based so some things may have changed..
1. Loads seem seasonal, right now for example the 7th/8th of March has around 40 open seats each way. The flight seems to be full a lot of the time though (like most).
2. Not aware of any, but could be some.
3. The flight is an augmented turn out of GUM, so the actual jumpseat is occupied by the IRO.
4. Only the suits in the big tower know that one, but it seems popular so I would hope it continues to operate.
5. I think the lack of frequency would make using the commuter policy tough, that said from what I can tell commuters can get blocks of days off to minimize commutes. You can block 12 days off in a row for reserve and commute in once a month if that much time away from the family is OK.
Maybe a current GUM guy can help with more info. I decided it could be done but my main concern was the lack of a backup. Not much service out of CNS to get you to another connecting city, like SIN or MNL. If the direct flight is full you could be stuck for a couple of days.
1. Loads seem seasonal, right now for example the 7th/8th of March has around 40 open seats each way. The flight seems to be full a lot of the time though (like most).
2. Not aware of any, but could be some.
3. The flight is an augmented turn out of GUM, so the actual jumpseat is occupied by the IRO.
4. Only the suits in the big tower know that one, but it seems popular so I would hope it continues to operate.
5. I think the lack of frequency would make using the commuter policy tough, that said from what I can tell commuters can get blocks of days off to minimize commutes. You can block 12 days off in a row for reserve and commute in once a month if that much time away from the family is OK.
Maybe a current GUM guy can help with more info. I decided it could be done but my main concern was the lack of a backup. Not much service out of CNS to get you to another connecting city, like SIN or MNL. If the direct flight is full you could be stuck for a couple of days.
03-05-2013, 07:17 PM
#3
Don't say Guppy
Joined APC: Dec 2010
Position: Guppy driver
Posts: 1,926
I start flying in Guam in about 6 weeks. I used the think it would be crazy to bid a base and seat based on 1 trip that you want to fly. So much can change. The flight might be cancelled, changed to a different equipment, etc. UAL is famous for taking a good deal and making it horrendous. And that is for somebody that works here.
Choosing an airline career for 1 trip would be lunacy. A far better choice might be DAL as they have a NRT base. NRT to Cairns there are probably lots of ways to get there. GUM to Cairns there is only one, and who knows how long it will last.
My two cents. The flight might go away, or go to 3 a day next month. Who knows.
Fedex or UPS are probably the best deals for commuting long distance. Their overseas bases are very junior and you can get a bunch of days off in a row.
Choosing an airline career for 1 trip would be lunacy. A far better choice might be DAL as they have a NRT base. NRT to Cairns there are probably lots of ways to get there. GUM to Cairns there is only one, and who knows how long it will last.
My two cents. The flight might go away, or go to 3 a day next month. Who knows.
Fedex or UPS are probably the best deals for commuting long distance. Their overseas bases are very junior and you can get a bunch of days off in a row.
03-05-2013, 08:18 PM
#7
Banned
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Narrow/Left Wide/Right
Posts: 3,655
DAL NRT base is not a pilot base, it is a DAL hub but manned from the mainland bases with a combination of deadheads and long trips from the mainland bases. Additionally, getting this position as a new hire would be problematic at best as your probably more likely to be assigned MD88 FO in NYC than to the widebody fleet as a newhire.
03-06-2013, 10:09 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 403
It's been done b4
I was out in GUM when the merger was announced. I moved back to the mainland since my kids were hitting school age.
While I was out there, I knew 2 Australia commuters.
I don't think it was an easy commute, but it was doable.
One guy was fairly junior, the other was, and I believe still is the ALPA Captain rep for GUM.
I would suggest talking to your current rep and see if they can put you in touch with the GUM CA rep. I won't post his name on a public board, but getting this info from your union should be fairly easy.
He's actually a really good dude, so I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you the in's and out's, pro's and con's of commuting from "Down Under"
An additional note is that another option for commuting would be to take one of the Aussie carriers from CNS or whichever close city you choose to NRT, then a fairly easy commute from NRT to GUM.
I thought I would also mention that I think I remember a pretty hefty fee every time you commute into CNS since the airport is privately owned and a tourist destination. I can't say how much it is and I think the GUM office can get you a discount. If I remember correctly something around $50, maybe more depending on the exchange rate.
Again, I would suggest talking to the GUM union rep.
While I was out there, I knew 2 Australia commuters.
I don't think it was an easy commute, but it was doable.
One guy was fairly junior, the other was, and I believe still is the ALPA Captain rep for GUM.
I would suggest talking to your current rep and see if they can put you in touch with the GUM CA rep. I won't post his name on a public board, but getting this info from your union should be fairly easy.
He's actually a really good dude, so I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you the in's and out's, pro's and con's of commuting from "Down Under"
An additional note is that another option for commuting would be to take one of the Aussie carriers from CNS or whichever close city you choose to NRT, then a fairly easy commute from NRT to GUM.
I thought I would also mention that I think I remember a pretty hefty fee every time you commute into CNS since the airport is privately owned and a tourist destination. I can't say how much it is and I think the GUM office can get you a discount. If I remember correctly something around $50, maybe more depending on the exchange rate.
Again, I would suggest talking to the GUM union rep.
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