Reserve Days

[nomorecatering]

Whats the conditions of a reserve day.

An hr from Phone call to arrive at airport? Is that the standard.

What do most guys do on reserve days, veg at home, sleep, watch telly, study?

Do you have a routine, uniform hanging ready, already shaved showered etc. If you live an hr from the airport, or have to battle any capital city traffic jams, you would be short of time.

How quickly can most people be out the door after getting the call.

[Cypher]

Reserve days conditions are usually under conditions of employment and differ airline to airline.

I have 90 minutes to get to the airport once company calls me off reserve. Makes it a lot easier when I live about 15 minutes from the airport.

With the reserve days being 'at home', all I have to be is contactable. I just do what I'd normally do on a day off, bar anything that involves drinking or being 90 minutes away from the airport.

If I can't be contactable, i.e going for a run, or kayak, I'll talk to ops, see what the situation is, what flights my reserve are covering, and come back with a time to get back in contact with them and still ensure I can make the airport if they need me to work.

It works a bit of both ways. Theres been times where they've called me up and I would have been quite in my rights to take the full 90 minutes to get there, but seeing I live close to the airport, I can often get there and the flight will often depart with no delay, with no extra disruption or effort on my part.

[The Green Goblin]

Usually an EBA issue, not part of an exemption etc.

I've worked from 60-120 mins depending on the operation. In GA companies it was usually a get here now type scenario.

Keep a uniform ironed and if you head into town for a coffee or something, take it in the car with you just in case.

As has been posted above, I treat them as a day off and do what I would normally do bar drinking, boating etc. Normally what seems to happen is you will be called off reserve and told to report at xxx time. This is normally a couple of hours from when you receive the phone call.

More of the issue is when do you start your duty! Some argue from the time you received the phone call from ops, others argue when you sign on.

[Tankengine]

Qantas shorthaul [737] uses 2 hours and Qantas Longhaul uses 3 hours. Also to leave home within 45mins.

[rmcdonal]

Often you get the call the day before, unless someone goes sick first thing in the morning. Other wise I just treat it as a day off and keep my phone on me just in case. This has worked out well for me as it gives me the time to work on my Uni degree.
The closer to work you live the better a reserve day is for you, as I only live 20min from work I can take the call and go back to sleep for an hr before having to get up. I normally have one shirt ironed and hanging up anyway.
There are a few things you can't do:
Drink
Be to far away from the airport (depending on your min call in time)
Plan anything serious to do. No point in buying no refundable tickets to anything,

Often you can get a feel for if you are going to be called in based on:
How many extra crew the company has on the books (you maybe 6th in line to be called).
Is it flu season?
Is the weather crap?
Was there schedule disruption the day before?
Do you know if anyone who is rosterd to fly is likely to call a sicky?
Also if you want to fly that day you can normally call ops and ask to be first called (Sometimes it is good to get called in for an early shift and finish early, that way you know you have the afternoon off).

[The Green Goblin]

Standby is duty time.

Reserve time is not.

EOC you have them back to front!

[ozbiggles]

Want to have lots of spare time to wind up the security staff hey eco?