Best spot for a YYC based pilot

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cjp
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by cjp »

Canadianpilot2024 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2024 1:55 pm Appreciate the insight! Thank you.

My friends at Porter said there aren’t any official plans for a Calgary base, but it kind of seems inevitable.

But big red opening a yyc base also seems to make sense (maybe with rouge) but I'm hearing that’s unlikely.

Blink twice if there’s a porter base coming in 2025 haha. I won’t tell anyone.
:shock: :lol:
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flying4dollars
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by flying4dollars »

Canadianpilot2024 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2024 1:55 pm Appreciate the insight! Thank you.

My friends at Porter said there aren’t any official plans for a Calgary base, but it kind of seems inevitable.

But big red opening a yyc base also seems to make sense (maybe with rouge) but I'm hearing that’s unlikely.

Blink twice if there’s a porter base coming in 2025 haha. I won’t tell anyone.
There was rumblings of rouge out west. I cannot see it returning to YVR but I can see YYC (maybe seasonally). Makes sense as we already have a maintenance and FA base there. But that's just a somewhat educated guess and obviously don't bank on that but this rouge switchover on fleet types is interesting. Not going to lie I WANT there to be a YYC base. It will seriously help my seniority in YVR :lol:
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flying4dollars
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by flying4dollars »

co-joe wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2024 12:50 pm Commuting eats you soul.
It really depends on where you're commuting to or from. Most commuters I've ever known seem to have made it work just fine. I was also once commuter and will be again soon. Ideal? No. Soul crushing? Also no. Don't be so dramatic :lol:
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Hysteria
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by Hysteria »

flying4dollars wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2024 4:28 pm
co-joe wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2024 12:50 pm Commuting eats you soul.
It really depends on where you're commuting to or from. Most commuters I've ever known seem to have made it work just fine. I was also once commuter and will be again soon. Ideal? No. Soul crushing? Also no. Don't be so dramatic :lol:
I also despised commuting. To each their own. QOL is so much better eliminating it.
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thepoors
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by thepoors »

Canadianpilot2024 wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 9:36 pm I would also argue that there’s quite a bit of flights between yyc and yvr. With that you also have a healthy amount of commuters. Flights tend to be sold out or close to it with a dozen or so people listed on standby on average.

Typically you get on or catch the jump but I wouldn’t say it’s stress free commuting, not to mention the time waiting at both airports and the costs involved.

Being on reserve on a best fit system, you tend to get called out or assigned on open time majority of the time.

Reserve is scheduled for 18 days a month. Throw in a couple extra days for travelling, you could easily be away from home 20+ days a month.

On a block it’s 16, you could bring that number down a bit more from 20 if you could bid later departures early arrivals.

WB would be the way to go it seems for a commuter. Or move.
That's the thing, commuting gives you very little flexibility. Working 18 days on reserve depends a lot on the fleet, it's not across the board - I'd say that's mainly a reality at Rouge.

I for one would be perfectly happy holding weekends off on reserve. But commuting on reserve is a bad thing made worse. The amount of time at home you're giving up every month is not insignificant, even compared to a driving "commute."
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Canadianpilot2024
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by Canadianpilot2024 »

Morning star claims to only fly 12-14 days a month, 3 weeks vacay to start, most weekends off, $65k base flying a ATR

The flying can be pretty boring and mostly night flying though

Can anyone comment on working there?
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CaptDukeNukem
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by CaptDukeNukem »

Canadianpilot2024 wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2024 11:50 pm Morning star claims to only fly 12-14 days a month, 3 weeks vacay to start, most weekends off, $65k base flying a ATR

The flying can be pretty boring and mostly night flying though

Can anyone comment on working there?
Not on an air Canada thread. Try the “other airlines” section
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fixnfly
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by fixnfly »

Have you thought about commuting to YYZ? It's a lot further with a bit less frequency, but seniority wise, you would be way ahead. I know guys who are stuck on reserve in YVR and their classmates from PIT on the same plane are mid level block holders with Christmas and their choice of days off. Being the junior base, you move up a lot faster than YVR and can take control of your schedule faster but I'm sure you're well aware of that.

On a side note, during a recent PIT course not too long ago, a large number of new hires were from YYC. They were asking MS if there were plans to open up a YYC base eventually and he replied that he was aware there were a ton of YYC commuters and he was open to starting a YYC base but was just unsure of what airplane to base there. It would make it way easier on the commuters out of there by reducing the number going to YVR. With the rebound in flying and additional aircraft orders, I wouldn't be surprised if a YYC base was opened in the next 5 years. The union should have put pressure on the company during negotiations to do that as I doubt it would have costed them very much.
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Aerkavo
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by Aerkavo »

fixnfly wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2024 12:30 am I wouldn't be surprised if a YYC base was opened in the next 5 years. The union should have put pressure on the company during negotiations to do that as I doubt it would have costed them very much.
I don't know this for sure but my understanding was that TC imposes many restrictions on having a "base". Apparently deciding to have a base somewhere also requires having a physical location (renting real estate) and having local flight ops management such as an MLO (or several to provide some sort of coverage). This probably requires having a flight coordinator (or several). I don't think it's as simple as building pairings for YYC and calling it a "base".

BTW, yes, I am aware of the concept of a "virtual base". Don't know how this would fit in or what demands the union could or would make to allow this to happen.

As a commuter my solution was to bid an aircraft that did a lot of overnights in the city I commuted from - effectively created my own personal virtual base. Every month I'd get many, many layovers in my own bed.
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Re: Best spot for a YYC based pilot

Post by crystalpizza »

fixnfly wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2024 12:30 am Have you thought about commuting to YYZ? It's a lot further with a bit less frequency, but seniority wise, you would be way ahead. I know guys who are stuck on reserve in YVR and their classmates from PIT on the same plane are mid level block holders with Christmas and their choice of days off. Being the junior base, you move up a lot faster than YVR and can take control of your schedule faster but I'm sure you're well aware of that.

On a side note, during a recent PIT course not too long ago, a large number of new hires were from YYC. They were asking MS if there were plans to open up a YYC base eventually and he replied that he was aware there were a ton of YYC commuters and he was open to starting a YYC base but was just unsure of what airplane to base there. It would make it way easier on the commuters out of there by reducing the number going to YVR. With the rebound in flying and additional aircraft orders, I wouldn't be surprised if a YYC base was opened in the next 5 years. The union should have put pressure on the company during negotiations to do that as I doubt it would have costed them very much.
The 737 fleet is transitioning to Rouge in the next few years and the Airbus 319/320/321 consolidated at mainline. If the 737 will be doing traditional Rouge flying, the 220 doing long and thin/regional flying it was originally meant for and the 320 doing the majority of mainline domestic work (a lot of which is YYC) that decision might well be a lot easier for him in a few years from now.
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