Originally Posted by
tomgoodman
There's no rule which says that a junior guy must fly reserve, but that's what he usually gets because all the regular lines are taken by senior guys in the monthly bid. Occasionally, however, some regular lines are so undesirable that nobody wants them, and they "go below" reserve. We used to have one which featured a 3 AM report time. Lines which fly over Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. also go junior.
So it's determined on a month-by-month basis? And then I guess one goes from reserve -> relief -> regular line.
I read that if an airline is hiring like crazy at that moment, it's possible to never have to sit reserve because movement is so quick.