Five days? Almost zero. With manning easy you'll get them. Burn next year's vacation days works in the company's favor. With manning tight it takes a major reason to get the additional days off. Asking in October of January has better odds then asking around holidays or the summer.

Standard advice, for decades, to include CP's - if you need the day off don't ask, dont' check, just bang in sick. CP "that's what sick days are for."

Needless to say mgt doesn't like that quote.

If you'd like the day off, but don't need it, go ahead and ask.

And don't bang in sick and then non-rev, or get in the newspaper doing manly things that day, or fly in the reserves(all true). It can have career altering implications.