Originally Posted by
fadec
So if I call and make an overseas deal it is contractual as long as I dont violate other parts of the contract. Good to know. Thanks. I wont break the contract. But if I can legally spend an extra day or two travelling overseas and then get paid for an elided deadhead while avoiding imputed income and travelling back to base I'm going to jump on it. I'm not sure that's a flaw in the contract. Seems like a feature. I respect that some guys want to spend time in base/gateway or only pick up out of their base/gateway or have a commute situation that fits the gateway model. Those of us who live or travel overseas have a different situation. It's our contract too.
I'm sure others are smarter about this than me but I think you could be skirting the contract if you are doing this on the front end of your pattern. The contract does say all trip pairings must be built to begin or end at your base. You don't actually have to see your base, but the pattern has to be built as if you started deadheading from your base. So if you are making a deal with scheduling to start from overseas the only way to contractually do it is to have a pattern built as if you started from your base. In that case the trip should have gone to open time and awarded by seniority.
Its different VX'ing on the backside of the pattern because you've already begun your trip pairing. You are already away from your base operating in the system so scheduling is free to change up your pattern to use you on those VX days without putting those trips into open time.