As an American Airlines Captain who has spent a significant part of my career on reserve - on and off for 24 years - I'd like to offer a different perspective than what you may have seen in a recent "left-seat chronicles" by Captain Eric Auxier about life as a reserve Pilot at our airline.Captain Auxier states that "when the phone rings" for a reserve Pilot at American Airlines, "the Pilot dang well better be ready to report for duty within an hour or two. At my Company, the work rules specify 'within a reasonable amount of time,' which is interpreted to mean three hours or so."To be clear, no Pilot at American Airlines is required to report for duty within any specific period of time, and while airline management typically interprets the "reasonable amount of time" referenced in the Allied Pilots Association-American Airlines Collective Bargaining Agreement as three to four hours prior to departure, that's not contractual and therefore not a requirement. Additionally, constant last-minute changes to a Pilot's "no contact" rest period make it difficult to establish any normal sleep cycle.
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