Reserve Review: Reserve Preferencing & Clean-up vs. Ready Reserve Assignments

MEC Reserve Committee

We will see a larger population of Flight Attendants on Reserve status during the May schedule month. For some, it may be the first time on Reserve in a long time; perhaps even the first time since implementation of the scheduling provisions of the JCBA. We will be providing a review of various aspects of the Reserve system along with direction on where to find more information regarding these and other topics in the upcoming editions of E-lines. 

The most comprehensive source of information is the Reserve Survival Guide found on the MEC website, which can be downloaded to your personal device.

It is important we start by making the distinction between the two (2) different Reserve assignment processes and when they occur: 

1. Reserve Preferencing and Clean-up assignments are made before 1930 HDT the evening prior to a day of availability. 

2.  Ready Reserve assignments are made after 1930 HDT the evening prior to a day of availability and continue throughout the next day for same-day assignments. 

Flight Attendants have the ability to input preferences for each process, however, each of these two (2) types of preferencing is completely separate and distinct from the other.The preferences that are considered depend on when the Reserve assignment is made.

The Reserve Preferencing assignment process begins each evening at approximately1700 HDT for open positions that check-in the following day between 0500 and 2359 HDT. (Section 8.D.2.)  During this process, preferences that are submitted using the Reserve Preferencing system are considered. This system may be accessed under the Reserve tab in CCS (see image above) or directly at pref.ual.com.

This preferencing system is easily distinguished by the fact that the Flight Attendant user is redirected from CCS to a page that opens in a separate tab or browser window.

The deadline to submit Reserve Preferencing requests for the following day is 1600 HDT. More information on inputting Reserve Preferencing requests may be found in the Appendix of the Reserve Survival Guide or by watching the video tutorials on the MEC website.

NOTE: During the Clean-up process (which occurs after the Reserve preferencing system runs, but prior to 1930 HDT) pairings that became open while the system was running are assigned to remaining Reserves in strict Days Available/TMAC order. No preferences of any kind are considered during Clean-up.

Ready Reserve preferences are considered when assignments are made to Flight Attendants who have been assigned to Ready Reserve status for the day during the 1930 HDT assignment process. Ready Reserve Preferencing may also be accessed under the Reserve tab in CCS . (See Image above)

The Ready Reserve Preferencing screen is distinguished by the fact that it will open within CCS.

On this screen, Ready Reserve preferences for the following options only may be indicated:

1. Maximum Flying (RTF: “Request to Fly”)
2. Minimum Flying (RMF: “Request Minimum Flying”)
3. Standby Reserve (RSB: “Request Standby”), or 
4. No Preference (RNP: “Request No Preference”)

There is no deadline to submit Ready Reserve preferences, and they may be changed at any time. More information on Ready Reserve Preferencing may be found starting on page 36 of the Reserve Survival Guide.

The most important distinction is that the two types of preferencing are completely separate from one another: 

Reserve Preferencing requests are only considered when the system runs at 1700 HDT each evening.

Ready Reserve preferences are only considered after 1930 HDT for those who have been assigned to Ready Reserve status for the assignment day when assignments are being made to open pairings or Standby positions.

If you have additional questions, please contact your Local Council Reserve Committee.