I called ALPA, not the pilots. I don't have ALPA's tools for checking trip coverage nor their knowledge of the contract, and frankly that's what I pay them 2% to do, I found the irregularity and let them run it to ground. 2 days later I got a return call from ALPA with the info in the original post. Why would the company pull the trip (originally assigned on the 11th or 12th, now in daily trip coverage for the 13th), pay 2 guys who had no idea they should get paid, and then give the trip back to the original 2 pilots if everything was on the up and up in the 1st place? I didn't write this post until I had information back from ALPA. Could I be wrong? Yes, it wouldn't be the 1st time. If somebody wants to prove it then I will eat crow and admit it. I was very careful to not post names, just a trip number. Any DAL pilot can look and make their own judgement. I feel like I did my due diligence before writing.

I see this 1 of 2 ways:

1. This trip requires management. Trip should have went out via open time and then the company should have bought the trip.

2. This trip does not require management.

Either way they went about assigning it the wrong way. It is bigger than 1 trip, from my lowly line pilot perspective there are 2 sets of rules.