FedEx Bases

[pmbm31lk]

I do not know much about the base system for FedEx, but I do know the big ones (Memphis etc.) Just curious about the Europe flying out of Paris. I understand they deadhead crews from the US to do the flying. Can you live there? Is it a crew base? Can you commute from another city in Europe? Thanks

 

[Falconjet]

Crew Bases

Only crew domiciles at FedEx are Mem (all types), ANC (MD11s), LAX (MD11s) and Subic Bay (Airbus). You can live anywhere you want, commuting is very easy and you can reserve company jumpseats up to 14 days in advance. If confirmed on a company jumpseat you are protected from discipline if the flight is late or diverted and you miss a trip.

The European flying in the Airbus is a special bid every 3 months called SIBA. If you can hold it, you fly it for 3 months. I don't know how the trips are set up, but you are still based in MEM so the company will deadhead you over, you fly your trips and they will deadhead you back. I don't know how senior it goes but you could certainly live over there if you wanted to.

FJ

 

[PurpleTail]

Once you get on property it would at least 4-7 yrs before you could hold an Airbus FO seat award in MEM. Then after that it would probably be another 1-3 yrs before you could hold a SIBA (Europe flying) Reserve schedule.

I don't mean to sound discouraging but it is very good and popular flying so it goes pretty senior. If you really wanted to fly the Airbus the Subic Bay base goes very junior. Once on property you could be there in about 1 yr. Also, the MD11 ANC base goes very junior as well, about 1-2 yr wait.

**Disclaimer** all numbers, dates, and time schedules change yearly, monthly, daily, and hourly.

 

[Huck]

Down low, the seat progression is totally dependent on hiring. I was 176 numbers from ANC MD11 back in June 2002, and I'm nowhere near that close now. Probably like 500 away but I'd have to check. Subic is still about 120 away, I think. And that's after 19 months.

I flew with a captain once who was hired after the Tigers merger and spent 5 years on the panel - not by choice. It's all dependent on hiring, but I think the days of widebody within 2 years are gone gone....

 

[Falconjet]

What Huck said

With hiring at a standstill I'm pretty much planning on retiring from the panel. Seriously though, I am. Ok, seriously, I would guess the first part of Tail's info will apply more to new hires in regard to any right seat, until the Boeings go away. I mean, 4-5 years before a shot at any right seat, let alone the Bus. Maybe things will pick up here with some hiring in the spring and the bid if they ever materialize. I for one can't wait to see a bucnh of folks in dark suits and red ties walking around the building!

FJ

 

[pmbm31lk]

I was wanting to live in Europe and didn't know if that was a possibility with the flying out of Paris. If there is no pilot base I guess it doesn't really matter. Thanks for the info.

 

[SWAbigdaddy]

A couple of FedEx questions. Do your trips start in MEM or do you commercial to an out station? Also do you layover for weekends or commercial home on the domestic side?

For Fedex how does subic work with skd, pay, commuting, crashpads, base locks, ect...? How big is the base?

Cheers!!

 

[PurpleTail]

The nice thing about FedEx is the are so many different choices in your monthly schedule that almost everyone wins (commuters and local). Now, of course, most of it all depends on your seniority.

Of the 4300 pilots about 2000 live in MEM, the other 2300 are scattered all over, literally. Back to your questions...a majority of the trips start and finish out of MEM but about 1/3 of the lines start elsewhere so the company buys you a positive space ticket to/from that city. MEM is the "Super Hub" but we also have "Mini-Hubs" in OAK, IND, EWR, and AFW. So if your route does "hub turns" threw a city other than MEM more than likely you will have a paid ticket to and from work.

Example...say you get the COS-OAK-LAS-COS week of flying and you are MEM based. The company buys you a ticket from MEM to COS Monday morning and has a return ticket COS-MEM Saturday afternoon. But you don't live in MEM, say you live in Dallas. You cancel the ticket the company bought you and however much the ticket cost you get to use to buy a ticket from Dallas to Colorado Springs.

As far as Subic goes, it is a really small base...@40 CPT and FO's. Subic base basically disputes throught Asia what the MD11 brings over from the US and they have there own Asian package sort. There are some (half) that actually commute to the Philippeans (ouch!) If awarded an Airbus seat in SFS there really isn't a seat lock per say BUT the company will pay for your move over there (@$10k+) If you move back within 1 1/2 yr you owe the comapany nothing and if you stay over there for at least 3 yrs the company will actually pay to move you back home. If you move back early there is a prorated % depending how long you where there. The pay is the same for a wide body pilot not matter where you are based (ANC, SFS, LAX, MEM).

Hope this helps.

 

[satpak77]

AFW Commuting

How many guys commute out of AFW (versus DFW on Pax airline)?

Since FDX has a facility at AFW, I would think that riding on FDX out of AFW would be easy.

True?

 

[profile]

There are several FedEx pilots that live in Europe, most of them are doing the SIBA flying there, but some commute for MD-11 trips, etc. Over the years we've had pilots commute from all over, the longest (that I know of) was a pilot that commuted from Nairobi to Anchorage for several years. Bottom line is that you can live anywhere you want, just depends on what you're willing to do to make it work. It's all a tradeoff.