gcsass, here are quotes from two sources on the subject of deviation bank values:

The May 2007 Positive Rate Newsletter addressed this issue and included the following statement:

Based on the number of questions that Contract Enforcement receives regarding this provision of the Agreement, it is worth explaining how your deviation bank is established and maintained.
When your line is awarded, or, in the case of a secondary or conversation line—built, the value of any scheduled deadhead flights are credited to your deviation bank. The established bank is maintained as the higher of the following:

1. the value at the time the trip was awarded/assigned,
or
2. the value at the time of the trip’s block-out, or
3. the value as flown.

The company's own Fedex Flight Operations Home, Expense Report Data, Help Page states the following:
I. How to Submit Electronic Travel Related Expense Report
2. Review Scheduled Deadheads and Deviation Bank
b. If a scheduled ticket was issued for a higher price than the acceptable fare, the higher ticket price will be used to calculate your bank.

You should be entitled to the original higher fare in your bank, even if you don't deviate on that leg.

The whole issue of what the past practice has been and what the contract says about what the value of our deviation banks should be as related to scheduled versus accepted fares, is being looked at by both the union and our new chief pilot. You would think the wording of the contract:

"2. Deadhead Deviation Banks
a. A pilot shall have a deviation bank established for each bid period. The value of the deviation bank shall equal the value of the scheduled deadhead tickets for trips flown during the bid period plus the value of any scheduled deadheads for recurrent training.", would be fairly clear.

We should be entitled to the highest value, accepted or "scheduled" by corporate travel, whether we deviate or not. Right now, if you deviate from a D/H and the accepted fare is lower than the scheduled ticket that corporate travel issued before you deviate, then you are stuck with the lower accepted fare for your bank.

In your case however, since the scheduled fare was lower, then you should be able to keep the original, higher accepted fare amount in your bank, whether you deviate or not.

Hope this helps.