Originally Posted by
Jughead135
Happy to report I got a line for October--less than a month since IOE completion!--and I have a couple of questions:
1) So I'm Reserve in Sep, Regular in Oct; I have a reserve block (non-X days) ending 30 Sep; first rotation in Oct starts 02 Oct. What is 01 Oct treated as in terms of a day off: “hard” or “soft”? In other words, can I be extended on an assigned trip during what I hope is my last reserve block into my day off in Oct? Does my release on 30 Sep (assuming not assigned a trip) follow the "will be released" at 1200, or the "may request to be released" rules?
2) I need some specific days off in November (not Thanksgiving, I know better), so I will be bidding accordingly. Am I better off:
a) Picking up a carry-over trip at the end of Oct and getting some credit during the first few days of Nov as a pre-award; or
b) Leaving Nov blank (no carry-over trips) so that PBS will have as many days as possible to be able to place awards “around” the days off that I need?
Hoping I can hold a line going forward, but happy to have these "problems" for Oct! Thanks for any help.
Previous comments on carry out trips have some validity; however, in your case you are trying to PICK UP a trip. It's probably a good idea, here's why:
1. Trips at start of Nov (any month) are very sparse because the 1st, 2nd, 3rd (and 4th on 320 fleet) are already mostly covered by carry-out trips from the prior month.
2. The absolute best way to be sure to have your required month's line-credit low around your desired days off, is to ALREADY have the max amount of credit on the first few days of the month due to a carry-out trip, when going into the PBS build. Less credit to award randomly = better chance of your days off.
3. You probably wouldn't get a trip awarded by PBS on first few days of month, due to above reasons plus that every one else will be trying to front load Nov. So a carry out trip is your best bet.
4. Carry out trips CAN be changed, and often are... but you are definitely SAFE from this when the next month's bidpack comes out. So, on 3 or 4 Oct when the Nov bidpack comes out, all the carry-out trips from Oct that needed to be "tweaked" to make Nov work WILL HAVE BEEN TWEAKED. You can see this in the open time by suddenly seeing rotations that WERE there for end of Oct being "no op" and replaced by slightly different numbers. I can see it very easily using Icrew Max app.
5. Also, carry out trips CAN be changed... and usually are if they are "good pilot trips", but NOT if they suck balz! If they already jam 4 pounds of flying into a 3 lb sack, well, there's not much Delta can do to it. If they end right now with a 30 hour layover in Gucciville, followed by a DH home, you can be SURE that crap was a placeholder and it will be replaced with 3 turns to Birmingham.
6. Carry out trips should be hardening up about now, grab one at start of Nov. HOWEVER... if you will be RESERVE in Nov, I have no idea how carryout line interacts with a reserve line but suspect it's basically free flying you did for them to no benefit for you, and all bets are off!