Contract Highlights

[swreservepilot]

It's vitally important to know some elements of the contract. This can make a huge difference in your quality of life and pay. We'll cover some of the biggest ones now. 

First off, the 4-hour hotel rule. If you are SCHEDULED on your trip to be at the airport for more than 4 hours, you can ask and must receive a hotel (5.R.4). Yes, this happens, and yes, enjoy your rest. No, of course they won't give it to you unless you call and ask.

Secondly, the earliest flight back rule, this applies to everyone (5.D.2.i.v). Often reserves will spend time deadheading. If you are going back to base, Scheduling is supposed to put you on the flight (or flights) that get you back the soonest. It might be a nonstop, it might not (and if not, it probably pays more)--whatever gets you back to base the earliest. This is often overlooked, thereby turning you into airport reserve. Check the on-line flights and call them on it. Which leads us to...

Deadheading. As a deadheader, you should have a seat in the cabin for any flight (or combination of flights) that exceed 2 hours AND you are deadheading to fly during that duty period (5.S.1/2). Less than that, you can be asked to sit in the jumpseat, but you aren't required to. Scheduling won't list you correctly, they'll ask you to JS on oversold flights, and when you're asking for the earliest flight back it'll inevitably be oversold. Too bad, you are a deadheader and get a seat. Be polite, and be nice to the customer service agents, but talk to scheduling and KNOW THE CONTRACT--DEADHEADERS GET SEATS (as long as you have flying left that day).

Speaking of deadheading...Deadheads at the end of a pairing may be scheduled to exceed duty period maximums during irregular ops to return a crew to domicile (5.D.2.i.iv). If the deadhead at the end of the pairing terminates later than one hour past the duty period maximum, the pilot may elect to stay overnight at the outstation. Scheduling will usually schedule you back to domicile, BUT...you can make 6.5 for the next day if you stay overnight. They will put you on a legal DH the next day, but you can get released from that DH and make your own way back to base--but you must stay the night to get the 6.5 min daily guarantee for the next day. Again, your duty day must be 16 hours or more upon release at to domicile to trigger this rule. It can be a lucrative one to know.

And another deadhead rule...on the last day of a reserve block, they cannot hold the flight for you, nor can it be scheduled with less than thirty minutes of connection time (8.D.11). This can cut both ways--for you and against you. If you're trying to get home, the fact that the flight won't be held can hurt. You can still try to run and catch it, though. On the other hand, let's say that this forces them into putting you on the next flight, making your duty day longer. That's a good thing. Run to get on the earlier flight, and once you're on, call scheduling and ask to get released. If your day has been that long, usually they will consent to that. You will still get paid for the scheduled deadhead, even once released (it's in the contract). So, you get paid for your long duty day AND possibly get home a bit earlier. Or, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, if your day is approaching 16 hours, consider getting home the next morning for an extra 6.5. BONUS if your crystal ball is clear and you had a Guaranteed Day Off on that next day--you'll get 6.5 min daily guarantee, plus 6.5 additional for being scheduled into a GDO. This will allow you to drop a day of reserve with no pay OR possibly get another 6.0 (8.D.10). There are also some specific rules for 'making up' the day off, read the contract for more details if this rare scenario happens to you.

Continue reading with Part 6: Overlap, and how it can work for you