Best commuter positions

[infiniteregulus]

As the subject states, what is the best positions for new hires, or seasoned lads, for commuters? Wide-body RP? Rouge FO?

[altiplano]

If you're looking strictly at having an easy commute and not sleeping in a crash pad... RP is it for quite a while in your career.

3 pairings for 9 days/month.

Until you can hold same schedule as an F/O or Captain anyway.. (currently approx 12+ years / 30 years).

Of course you can do alright if you get senior in any position. So whatever floats your boat, once you get some seniority a NB FO position could be quite good...

If the B-scale expansion happens though, it will get more difficult in any position to have schedule control. Rouge offers you very little control by design and it takes efficiency away from Mainline resulting in less control there.

[groundpilot]

If you're looking strictly at having an easy commute and not sleeping in a crash pad... RP is it for quite a while in your career.

3 pairings for 9 days/month.

Until you can hold same schedule as an F/O or Captain anyway.. (currently approx 12+ years / 30 years).

Of course you can do alright if you get senior in any position. So whatever floats your boat, once you get some seniority a NB FO position could be quite good...

If the B-scale expansion happens though, it will get more difficult in any position to have schedule control. Rouge offers you very little control by design and it takes efficiency away from Mainline resulting in less control there.

So this is some pretty biased info

Rouge - no reserve so much better for a junior person to commute on. Plus you might get the honour or privilege of a weekend off

As for a RP position, once you get off RESERVE, looking at 4 pairings per month until you get some seniority and then bid more productive flying and then down to 3 pairings. But this is likely only for the top 40%. All the productive stuff goes senior.

Senior on any position is good but takes years to get and as a new hire, that is years away...

[infiniteregulus]

Interesting. So the RP positions still start out on reserve? I can't imagine sitting around in Toronto on reserve is any fun for a commuter :/

[ToolShed]

Rouge has single dayers
RPs do multidayers

That's helps with crash pad costs.

Rouge you work more.
First 4 years...same pay remember.

[Skyhunter]

Rouge has single dayers
RPs do multidayers

That's helps with crash pad costs.

Rouge you work more.
First 4 years...same pay remember.

I was Rouge first 4 years. Wasn't same money at all! Avg 11-12 days month. $20k in O/T first year. Up to almost 40k in year 4. That more than pays for a crash pad. Figured over those 4 years made close to an extra 100k by being at Rouge. And got the vaulted privlesge of having a few weekends off including the odd long weekend that the self entitled dinosaurs think you should have to be 12 years at the company to get.

[Alcoholism]

Interesting. So the RP positions still start out on reserve? I can't imagine sitting around in Toronto on reserve is any fun for a commuter :/

You probably wouldn't find it fun on RSV, so you probably shouldn't apply

[altiplano]

If you're looking strictly at having an easy commute and not sleeping in a crash pad... RP is it for quite a while in your career.

3 pairings for 9 days/month.

Until you can hold same schedule as an F/O or Captain anyway.. (currently approx 12+ years / 30 years).

Of course you can do alright if you get senior in any position. So whatever floats your boat, once you get some seniority a NB FO position could be quite good...

If the B-scale expansion happens though, it will get more difficult in any position to have schedule control. Rouge offers you very little control by design and it takes efficiency away from Mainline resulting in less control there.

So this is some pretty biased info

Rouge - no reserve so much better for a junior person to commute on. Plus you might get the honour or privilege of a weekend off

As for a RP position, once you get off RESERVE, looking at 4 pairings per month until you get some seniority and then bid more productive flying and then down to 3 pairings. But this is likely only for the top 40%. All the productive stuff goes senior.

Senior on any position is good but takes years to get and as a new hire, that is years away...

If by biased, you mean true...

777RP YYZ are typically all working 3 Asia trips a month. 9 days... right to the bottom block.

Right now the 777 is doing Rome and YYZ RPs are covering some summer flying that usually is done by YVR guys so that gives a bit of inefficiency... The bottom 14 of 56 blockholders are working 3.5 or 4 pairings. Not bad. Plus some of those DHs to YYC/YVR in the junior blocks can be good for commuters - drop the DH and go POS space and free to/from your home instead.

787RP YYZ next month shows the bottom blockholders #72-77 working 4 trips. #71 works 3 trips... Most of the blocks above that are 3 trips and if they aren't, it's obvious that they could have had 3 trips if they wanted... seniority and all... but maybe they preferred to do 4 trips to South America or Tel Aviv or Europe instead of go to Asia or Dubai or India or wherever.

Your claims of the top 40% aren't even close...

Regarding reserve. The list is moving so fast right now. I wouldn't count on standing on it for too long. Plus if you did have to stand reserve, RP is an easy way to do it. You pretty much always know what flights you can get a call on and when they leave. Easy to get released early by Crew sked approaching guaranteed days off since you have to be available to do a 3 day trip...

As for Rouge. minimal control. more pairings. more difficult to get your pairings together with the socialized format. you can count on 16 days at work. Many early departures can make commuting in on day of difficult. it goes on and on.

I mean sure, rouge can be a manageable commute, but I'd take RP any day... Commute in same day (no extreme early RP departures) plus if you have an early day for a tough commute and are a little tired starting your trip you can count on a nap to start your workday.

Skyhunter's experience is atypical in terms of extra earnings. Also schedule wise 11-12 days in the first years at rouge were normal but it's going to be 16 for most moving forward. The new PI and extension rules proposed will wipe out a lot of that extra flying too.

Anyway, you'll manage either way I'm sure, lots of commuters here in every position... Good luck

[infiniteregulus]

That's awesome! Excellent information. Thanks!