Thank you, thank you! I have been at both ends of the spectrum. The amount of open time on major holidays, super bowl, even weekends, is obviously over-represented.

My #1 pet peeve... A pilot can hold a line. It's December. He bids lines only, not reserve. Doesn't get Xmas off, so he calls in sick. If you are desperate for the day off, bid reserve lines that have it off as well. I guarantee you'll get your reserve line with the holidays off.

Man up and fly what you bid.

The airline idustry lags badly behind corporate America. Most companies have provisions for employee time as well as holiday pay. I think every pilot should have 2 EO's (Employee off) per year, no questions asked, barring a handful of major holidays. Give crew schedule some minimum time, and that's it, you're off. No CP call.

This funny thing called life can throw curve balls, and sometimes, you simply cannot go out on a trip. There needs to be a mechanism to deal with this besides calling crew schedule and artificially making a hoarse, nasal voice to declare how sick you are.