Originally Posted by
warrenw
What if they have several 738 pilots/crew based out of FAT who deadhead to SFO regularly? In that case they could do either flight as their first/last leg and not have to do a 30 hour layover.
Nobody is based in FAT.
If you mean lives in FAT then what you describe is virtual basing.
The problem is that the trips that start/end in FAT may not be very good trips so the crews that live there will bid better trips that don't start in FAT leaving the FAT trips for the junior crews who would have to commute in to fly them.
Or, the FAT trips might be better trips so more senior crews will bid them and the local FAT crews won't be able to hold them.
Another problem is reserve coverage.
Then what happens next month when the 738 is changed to a 320?
I believe that a virtual base in PDX, out of the SEA domicile, was tried some time ago and, for the most part, it wasn't crews living in PDX that ended up flying the PDX trips.