The nice thing about the west coast is that the early wake ups really aren't that early. I had no paperwork to download, just to get to the plane and find my seat. By just being a passenger there are actually rules that govern what seats we are supposed to be given.
Generally, a deadhead leg would be scheduled far in advance of the trip. I'd know when I got my monthly schedule which legs I was going to be a passenger only on. I normally only deadhead a few times per year. It's a tactic to move pilots back to a base or to have them work a longer day when it would be illegal to have them fly.
The company takes care of all the booking on these flights as opposed to when I'm commuting back and forth to work. I just have to check in and then I have the option to switch seats like anyone would as a passenger. Per our contract the company is supposed to give us a seat in the economy plus section if it's available. Regular economy otherwise. The seats are supposed to be assigned as aisle, then middle. If I get stuck with a middle seat I can actually get paid a little more as a result. So they'll try and and give us the best available of those options when they do the booking. On the day of the trip I'm also placed on the upgrade list for first behind the highest profile passengers, but ahead of a lot of the other lesser awarded passengers. I've gotten first once this year, but it's far from regular.
My booking was only done a couple of days before the actual flight so I ended up with a window seat in regular economy. So no extra leg room for me, but the window meant I'd have a little "me" space anyway. I haven't been a passenger on a flight this long since I went to Germany when I was in college. The in seat entertainment was a pretty good thing, as is the policy that I can get reimbursed for the internet on the flight. So I bought my wifi and watched movies. The time passed a lot faster than it does in the cockpit.
As a paid, working employee, I can board the flight as soon as the crew gets on. Meet the other crew members, get my bags where I want them, and get situated without any hassle. I don't have any problem putting my two bags in the overhead either because I'm working, required to have them, and I personally, need the extra space at my feet. Especially for a 5.5 hour flight.
It's been my experience in the past that some passengers have a hard time dealing with crew members that cut to the front in security, get on the plane early, or take up more space than a passenger should be allowed. The Known Crewmember program has pretty much eliminated the security issue, but the other stuff is still there. When I'm commuting I try and be as inconspicuous and accommodating as possible. I'm extra and using my benefits. If I'm working, I'm working, whether I'm a passenger or not doesn't matter. I don't go into your place of work and complain that I'm not getting the same perks that you are from your own company. My perks just happen to be very visible and frankly aren't that useful outside of this single environment.
The flight was planned to get in early to Newark, so I changed my listing to try and get the earlier flight home. It was a 3 minute walk between gates, but when I got there the plane was still there, but the agent had closed the flight. I would have had a seat, but it was just too close to departure so I missed out. So frustrating to see the plane you want sitting there without you on it.
The next flight was an hour and a half later, not bad. I grabbed some food and headed over. For once there were plenty of open seats on it. I walked up, got my seat (a whole row this time) and got on to go home.
I talked a while back about the highs and lows of airline travel. Busy seasons and the such. Here's a good article that shows the busiest times of the year.
The day before Thanksgiving actually isn’t the busiest time to fly - Quartz
Above you can see what I described as the down seasons in my earlier discussion. Jan/Feb are the quietest, coupled with the post labor day in the fall. The summer is crazy busy, and spring break and the holidays right up there. So it all matches in line with what my observations have been.
I'm home until after the holiday. I haven't been home on Thanksgiving for 3-4 years so this will be very nice. Christmas has exploded all over our house and the Mrs is pretty much done with the decorating. I'm going to enjoy this time as much as I can.
I did a couple of my required training modules this morning. The first was on fatigue risk management. That dealt with definitions of the different types of fatigue, the different triggers that can bring on fatigue. The new time and duty limitations that the FAA imposed a couple of years ago, how to prevent fatigue, and the policies and procedures of what to do when you do find yourself fatigued and unable to fly.
The second training module was on meteorology. How to make the most of the tools that are at our disposal, severe weather avoidance, techniques to operate the airborne radar more efficiently, and policies and procedures for dealing with a severe weather event like a microburst, windshear or severe turbulence event.
That's about it for now. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and go sign up for the
FOFC Secret Santa so I can buy you a gift this year.