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Old 03-06-2012 | 12:16 PM
  #91860  
gloopy
Gets Weekends Off
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25M+ Airline Miles
Line Holder
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Jul 2010
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Originally Posted by Scoop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Too Tall
Quick vacation bidding question, I'm new to holding a line, we don't get trip touching drops on our vacations correct? PBS will not assign you a trip that would interfere with vacation is the way I understand it. Is that correct?




Denny is correct, but something we all need to remember is that PBS is first and foremost a computer program that turns our PWA into a monthly schedule. If the PWA told PBS to run first, and then factor in vacations, we could very easily have "Trips Touching."

It is the current PWA that prevents "Trips Touching" not PBS.

Scoop
True, but do we really want to fund something like that? So some pilots will get to "touch drop" a pair of 12 days for every week of vacation (and they get at least 5) while junior lineholders might get 5 or 6 extra days and reserves will get 3 or 4 extra days? No thanks.

The problem with vacation is its insanely, insultingly low credit. having a 7 day period on your line that only credits 21 hours is worthless. All it does is guarantee which days you will have off for the month and then throws a couple more days off for the average bidder. Vacation needs to be at least 5 hours a day, and ideally 6. But a minimum of 35 hours of credit for a week of vacation is mandatory. That's a powerful block on your line that will actually give you at least an extra week off, at all seniority levels, lineholder or reserve, and does so fairly and equitably for all pilots rather than the all or nothing system a touch drop would bring.

We could then get optional remedies like no reports prior to noon on the day after, waiveable by the pilot in PBS (to enhance line building options if the pilot chose it) etc.

With the low pay scales, inadequate work rules and horrible scope we have, the last thing we need to be fighting for at contract time is the restoration of little micro empires that a few jailhouse lawyer pilots can scam for extra months off or regular lines with triple pay with comparitively no benefit to the majority of the pilot group.

We already got rid of all recovery from OE trip takes, which in and of itself is fine, but we can't let it lead to the buddy bid with LCA's and greenslip a similar line for triple pay or even entire month off, month after month schedules. That's not savvy pilots getting one over on the CEO's bonus account; that's a handful of inside traders featherbedding at all of our expense.