Originally Posted by
dudemize
Are you Delta folks generally happy with PBS? I've heard many complaints from CAL folks but they have a different system I believe.
Once you receive your initial award how much flexibility do you have to drop/trade, etc. If there is adequate reserve coverage is there a limit to how much you can drop? Can you bid for stuff in open time while on reserve? Can you summarize white slips and green slips?
PBS in general sucks. However, I think our PBS is as good as there is.
Your flexibility to swap, drop, etc depends on reserve coverage. You can always swap a three day for a three day if it covers the same dates. If you want to swap a three day on the 3rd for a three day on the 4th, it gets harder and depends on the reserve coverage. There is also a swap board where you can go to see if another pilot wants to swap his trip for your trip. If you both agree, then it happens, regardless of reserve coverage.
If there is enough reserve coverage, no, no limit on how much you can drop. Some very senior guys drop pretty much everything, then pick up two day, two leg trips where you leave tonight at 7pm and are home by 10AM tomorrow, and the trip is worth 10:30. Other guys drop everything and pick up nothing but high value one day trips.
On reserve you can put in preferences for what you want to fly if you get called. You can also put in a greenslip on reserve, which by the way is about the best deal in the airline. If you are on reserve and get a greenslip on your off days, the time is paid above the reserve gaurantee, and you get your day off back. The reserve gaurantee is 70 hours, so if you pick up a two day, 10 hour trip, you are now up to 80 hours for the month, and you get your two days off back.
A white slip is a request from a regular line holder to pick up a trip at straight rates.
A greenslip for a regular line holder is a request to pick up a trip at premium pay (1.5). Problem is the premium pay doesn't actually kick in unless you are above a set amount, usually about 82 hours.
You can also be assigned a trip. Thats where scheduling has run out of folks who want to fly and they call people starting with the bottom person in the category and keep calling until they get someone. If you answer the phone, the trip is yours. But, it is double pay.