Mentoring Weekly Teaching Topic:

 

This year the Mentoring Committee will publish a series of teaching topics to help our new crewmembers with their transition into Atlas. The aim is to cover common questions that pilots have in their first year as Atlas pilots. For questions or suggestions, please contact cameron.edwards@iap2750.org

This week’s topic is Gateway Travel

Understandably, Gateway Travel is one of the more common subjects to come up as it is the method most pilots use to get to work. Gateway Travel is a voluntary program in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) where the company will provide you with a coach class ticket from your designated Gateway airport to your base and back at the end of your pattern. To be eligible for Gateway Travel, you must live more than 130 miles from your base by the most direct ground transportation route (CBA 6.A.2.a & 6.A.7.e). If you choose not to participate, you may jumpseat to work but it is your responsibility to arrive at work ready and rested for duty, as we do not have a commuter clause in our CBA.

While your Gateway airport is not automatically linked to your residence on file with the company, the CBA cites a crewmember’s residence for their eligibility for Gateway Travel. This means that if your, or one of your, residence(s) is more than 130 miles from your base you are eligible for Gateway Travel. If you move and wish to change your Gateway airport to reflect your new residence you may do so by contacting Doreen Fitzpatrick (Doreen.Fitzpatrick@polaraircargo.com). There are no limits on how many times you may change your gateway airport. However, for crewmembers who live inside the United States you MUST reside at the residence when you change your Gateway airport. One important distinction is if your residence is within 130 miles or more than one Gateway airport the company determines which airport from which travel will be provided, and this may vary from assignment to assignment. (CBA 6.A.1.c). An example of this is if a Crewmember lives in the Northeast and is based in Miami (MIA), there can be multiple Gateway Travel airports within 130 miles of that Crewmember’s residence. JFK (John F. Kennedy), LGA (LaGuardia), EWR (Newark-Liberty), PHL (Philadelphia), and Bradley (BDL) can all easily fall within the 130-mile range of a residence. The Company is usually very reasonable about utilizing the Gateway Travel airport most convenient to the Crewmember’s residence.

Crewmembers who live within driving distance, but beyond 130 miles, may be reimbursed up to the cost of a one-way ticket via air travel. Mileage is reimbursed at the standard IRS rate (https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates). To get reimbursed, contact the Travel Department and ask for an authorization number, and be prepared to give them the mileage from your residence to your base. Travel will give you an authorization number and a reimbursement amount, this amount is a maximum and unrelated to the price of an air ticket. Submit a CASH TER on GlobalNet for reimbursement of actual miles driven, again from your residence to your base. You may also request authorization for a rental car, Travel will want to know the associated cost when you contact them.

The Company may utilize many avenues to get you to base via Gateway Travel, this includes ultra-low- cost carriers (ULCC) such as Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest as well as company aircraft. They may book you with a connection, not to exceed two hours, and only if the nonstop ticket exceeds the ticket with a connection by 15%. Additionally, if one-connection travel is not available, the Company shall arrange for two-connection travel, with the same connection time and price restrictions as previously mentioned. All gateway tickets must be booked on one airline or code share partner, so you only have to check in once, unless it is not possible to do so. (CBA 6.A.6)

Gateway tickets will put you in position with 10 hours (reducible to 8) of pre-duty rest, but there are no CBA requirements for a backup flight. If Travel insists you have a backup flight or take an unreasonably early flight please contact your mentor and/or hotels@iap2750.org for assistance. As always, be polite and professional if this happens.

If your Gateway flight is delayed or canceled make a reasonable effort to resolve the issue satisfactorily with the airline before contacting Travel, however contact Travel as soon as it becomes apparent that your pre-duty rest will be affected so they can make the necessary arrangements with Crew Scheduling. This is necessary even if your pattern starts with a deadhead—deadhead is duty and still requires 10 hours pre-duty rest. Treat your gateway flight with the professionalism you would a deadhead, this includes the business casual dress standards as dictated by the FOM. Always plan to arrive with ample time to make it to your flight, should an unforeseen circumstance(flat tire, car trouble, car accident, etc) cause you to miss your gateway and there is reason to believe you may not be able to make it into position in time flight contact the stewards (stewards@iap2750.org) and your mentor as soon as practical for guidance.

Gateway Travel is only between your Gateway airport and your base, this means if your trip starts outside of your base this is not Gateway Travel but instead “Alternative Travel.” The Company has a wide degree of discretion to get you TO the assignment using Alternative Travel. You can also request Alternative travel TO and FROM your Gateway airport, or FROM the end of your last operating leg TO an airport that is not your Gateway airport and, provided the ticket cost is less than what it would cost to get you from your base to or from your Gateway airport, the Company will generally grant it. However, the decision to allow Alternative Travel is at the Company’s “sole discretion” (CBA Section 6.A.5.a).

Lastly, Gateway is a coach class ticket. So even if the time from duty on to your arrival at your Gateway airport meets or exceeds 16 hours it will still be coach class. This is also because your duty time stops when you reach your base (CBA 6.A.7.a & 6.A.7.c). However, if the time from you duty on to reaching your Gateway is excessive you may ask for a hotel to break up your travel time for your own comfort. One caveat to this is in the case that your trip ends with a commercial deadhead or company directed Alternative Travel from your last operated leg to your Gateway airport, this would not fall under Gateway Travel since it is not between your Gateway airport and your base. Accordingly, if your travel is international or the duty day is above 16 hours, CBA provisions that would entitle you to business class ticket apply.

For further questions regarding Gateway Travel, Alternative Travel, and deadheading please contact your Travel and Hotel Committee at hotels@iap2750.org.