Originally Posted by
Frick
I have about a year left on my contract that I have at my current 135 gig and I'd like to apply to Compass when my contract is over. I just have a few questions about some of the terms being used. Could someone explain what a buildup line is on a reserve day? And also...how easy is it to pickup open time?
Sure. During the schedule award process, often times there are lines constructed that do not meat the minimum line value of 75 hours. (Not to insult your intelligence, but a line is essentially your schedule for the month, with trips awarded on various days of the month that you put in preferences for.)
Lines that do not meet 75 hours are referred to as "build up" lines. These lines can often have anywhere from 12-18 days off depending on the credit already assigned. In the past, the company could take a pilot on a build-up line all the way down to 11 days off, with the added work days consisting of reserve days. With this new TA, a pilot will now be credited 4 hours for each day of reserve awarded. This 4 hours of credit will go towards the goal of completing a line above 75 hours. This ultimately leads to more days off. I've seen numerous examples of a pilot having 74 hours of credit and 17 days off, getting shafted with 6 days of reserve because they were unable to complete their line during the "schedule completion period" that follows the initial bid award.
As for open time, it is easy to pick up, assuming you can find enough days off in between trips to allow it.
Hope this helps!