Sorry for the lack of updates. The commuting to reserve has really eaten into my free time.
Each month I'm on reserve I get 11 days off. With the way this airline is run, I often have to go to AND from work on a day off. Let me explain.
For each block of reserve days my airline requires me to be in place by 4 AM. This means I have to commute in the night before. They are at least paying for the hotel, but it means another evening away from home.
On the other end is the last day of reserve. Many times I am not released from duty until late in the evening. More than a few times I have been unable to get home (full flights plus other jump seaters) requiring me to buy a hotel room and try the first flight in the morning.
My 11 days off a month is more like 7 days off.
A year has passed and I'm willing to bet I will not be a Captain in the next 17 months. There are hundreds of First Officers above me on the seniority list waiting for their Captain upgrade.
All isn't horrible though as they have increased bonuses for First Officers (even those already on property). The travel benefits are great, but seeing as I only get a week vacation.....and limited days off otherwise, it might be a while before I can actually use them.
If I had to do this all over again would I pick the same airline? I'm not so sure. The pilots I worked with when I was a CFI are all either holding lines and/or getting paid way more than by their airlines.
For now I'll put the Golden Ticket up on a shelf. At worst maybe I can melt it down as the price of gold is likely to improve faster than the state of my airline.
