Nice way to start airport appreciation

Airline pilots for the most part are lazy. They like to work the least amount and get paid the most. I guess that's like every other profession I guess. Eh.

Each month that I am available to work each reserve day I get paid for 75 hours. I could fly ZERO hours or 75 hours and get paid the same. Not a lot of money as most people get paid 160 hours a month. My current pay rate is around $35 an hour (not listing the exact figure to maintain my anonymity ;-) ) Each month I take home roughly $2600 in pay plus around $250 a month in per diem. This is all before taxes, 401K, insurance and union dues. Realistically I get about $1950 deposited in my checking account each month. Here's to all the great spouses who support poor  pilots!

If I happen to fly more than 75 hours during a reserve month then I get paid $35 an hour for each hour over 75 hours. To date I have never flown more than 75 hours in a reserve month. I have been paid for more than 75 hours in a reserve month though. How? Extra flying.

If I pick up extra flying performed on a day I would normally have off then I get paid straight pay plus an extra percentage. Unlike "real world" overtime I don't get time and a half.

With pilots on furlough I resisted picking up extra flying. I had to give in as I would like to help pay for our trip to Tokyo in October.

I put in and was awarded a 2 day trip worth 14 hours of flight time. Fourteen hours of flying in just 2 days is a lot of flying.

The trip consist of 6 total legs. All of them are pretty long which is a good thing. If it were 2 day trip with 14 hours of flight time and 10 legs (entirely possible!) I would likely not have bid it.

Since this is extra flying I will be paid at least 89 hours for the month as long as I am available each reserve day. The most I have ever been paid in one month was 95 hours when I actually flew just 79 hours (this was one of the two months where I held a hard line).

The total pay before deductions for this extra flying is roughly $600. Not too shabby.

I was advised of my extra flying when I signed in for airport standby today. Nice way to start 8 hours of airport appreciation.