NYC Pilot

Hey guys, quick question for you United folks. How long do you have to report on short call reserve? Reason is that assuming I'm EWR based and live on Long Island, NY, trying to figure out if I will have sufficient time to get to EWR. Not at UAL yet but just trying to figure these things out. I read somewhere that it's 2 hours and 30 minutes but need to confirm. Thanks in advance!

Shifty

2.5 show. 3.5 go.

NYC Pilot

Thanks a million shifty!

krudawg

One thing to add for communters; Commuting into base during your short call availability, simply call the crewdesk and advise them you are stepping on an airplane. If they need me, leave a voice mail and consider me notified.

pilotgolfer

The contract also has a stipulation for heavily congested places like NY, DC, LA...you can throw that 2.5 hours out the window by telling the scheduler that the traffic is horrendous today and I will do the best I can. That's always the first thing out of my mouth if they call.

SUX4U

I do this a lot. If my SC starts at 2pm I'm usually on a 2-2:30 flight for my 50 minute flight into base. I've always told them what I was doing and they have been good about it.

However one day I couldn't get a flight out for the life of me. Told the schedulers I had tried to catch 3 flights and was thinking about hanging it up with the commuter policy. They reminded me that the policy only is usuable if the flights were scheduled to get me in prior to my assignment. Since I was getting fancy and planned to commute in late I could either keep trying to get out, call off unavailable or sit home hoping they wouldn't call. I finally made it out some 5 hours into my SC period.

Lesson learned there that if you want to commute in after your SC starts, make sure you can actually get on a flight as I could have burned myself and another rsv pilot had a trip popped up.

Andy

It's been a while since I've been on reserve so I had to read the contract on this. For reference:

20-A-4-a A Reserve in a Short Call window or a Lineholder in a telephone availability
window must be able to report for duty (call-out time) no more than two hours and thirty
minutes (2:30) after the Company’s initial attempt at contact. Consideration shall be given
to heavy traffic, construction, and similar circumstances. When the call-out time is less
than three (3) hours, to effectuate an on-time Departure the Pilot may elect to pay for
parking closer to the terminal and shall be reimbursed for such expense. Additionally, at
Bases with co-terminals, consideration shall be given if the Pilot is given an assignment that
reports at an airport that is not the primary airport of the Base.

NYC Pilot, if you can make it there in 2+30 under normal circumstances, you're fine. If it were me, I'd calculate times for multiple methods of transport (public transportation, uber, etc)

horrido27

As a displaced NY'er.. I'll add a little to the discussion-
I use to live in Queens, close to LGA. Back in the day (LCAL) I sat reserve on the 756.
Reserve isn't that bad if you understand how to make it work for you. With aggressive pickup, you could have a known schedule which would alleviate the worry about 2.5 hrs to the airport shortcall.
Yes, it might still take you 2.5 to get there.. but it wouldn't be from an unknown and unwanted phone call from scheduling! With aggressive pickup, you would be able to build your (semi) own schedule.

Not sure about how the other fleets work, but I would bet that on the 756, SC that are actually used are probably not the norm.

Something else to consider is that there is flying on the 73 out of LGA. Again, not being on that fleet I can't tell you my experiences but I have picked up 756 (757) stuff out of LGA.
In the end, living on LI and working for United is more than doable. Will it be as easy as those working for DAL, AA or JB? nope. But then again, it isn't bad either. There are tons of guys (and gals) who live on the island (or CT) that drive to EWR.

Good Luck
Motch

MasterOfPuppets

I have spent most of my career at United on RSV and I have only once gotten a legitimate 2.5 call out. Most of the time they will give you several hours notice. last week was called the minute I started SC and was given 5 hours to show time.

ugleeual

might be fleet and seat specific on the call out times... in DCA, for me anyway, all SCs are "how quick can you get to terminal?"... never given a report outside the 2.5 hours...