Good afternoon, I am getting close to getting to a regional and I will be a commuter. I wanted to know if at the regionals is it possible to bid for a schedule to work 7 days straight to get a 3-4 days off home as a commuter. I do know that as a commuter you end up losing a day off because of travel and if anyone can give me tips on the system. Thanks.
Sam,
Not only is possible, it’s actually quite common. The problem is you won’t be the only commuter and in all likelihood there may be a number of pilots trying to do the same. That’s where seniority kicks in. When you’re new you won’t have any so you’re really at the mercy of everyone else.
Eventually you will be able to block your days together, it just might not happen for a while.
Adam
Sam,
The only issue with this is that you are required to have thirty hours free from duty within every seven day period. While this can be easy at the majors with long overnight overseas, it is not common at all to have such long layovers at the regionals, now is it a productive use of your time. You might find that it will be possible to work six days in a row, but the seventh day might be much harder to do.
Chris
Sam,
A lot goes in to how people bid. For commuters, having “commutable” trips is a very high priority. Not only could you block your days together (as long as it’s still in compliance with FAR rest rules) you can also bid for trips that have report times late enough to commute in the morning of and release times to commute home that night. It won’t always work perfectly because the airline industry is inherently unpredictable but it’s a good start.
-Hannah