OSOP
Quite a few ex Air Force boys with a Manchester gateway live in North Yorkshire, and it works for them fine. This is the deal, 45 minutes to leave house, 1 hour to gateway 1 hour to check in if you are on home standby. I have to say in nearly 5 years home standbys have been a rare event, but i do talk to some guys who get alot of home standby duties. If you had your bags packed and able to just sling your stuff on and go, you've made 40 minutes (less 5 to get ready) straight away. Immeadiatly check in online before you leave home and print your boarding pass (they would give your airline details over the telephone) and you've just got yourself another 45 minutes, but that takes you down to -15 on the airline departure and you'd have to go straight to the gate. Just take 2 bags through security, which i would always advocate in any event, and you'll be fine. Rather tighter than one would like but HAS been done more than once at Manchester.
In short if you live much more than 2 hours away it could be tight, with you having to park at Man, get the bus, security etc etc. As i recall the last time i was given a home standby i was called at 0900 for a 1600 airline, so no major issue, but you COULD be unlucky one day. Just looking at the odds though of a huge scheduling problem occuring when
a) You are on a home standby and not on tour
b) Someone on your fleet going sick or aircraft going tech
c) scheduling not being able to find another option
d) them having enough time to call you (2:45)
e) they have an airline available to get you to where the problem is
the odds of you actually being called out at short notice reduce every time you throw one of those variables in the mix and you probably will never get caught out. What is more likely to happen is that it will be a planned affair and everyone will be happy. Also in winter, as many of us are seeing now, there is quite abit of slack in the system, so i'm sure they will look at other options before they start spending money on airlines. Summer is busy, so your probably not going to get a home standby anyway.
On most occasions when you are scheduled for a tour, you get your details at about 5 ish the day before and just give yourself enough time to get to the airport.
Hope that helps, but i wouldn't worry about it at all.
Good Luck
Last edited by Smeagels Boyfriend; 16th April 2008 at 15:25.