Originally Posted by PSA help

How lines are built and awarded:

Step 1: AAG gives PSA a large pile of flying that we need to cover. Our scheduling department takes the flying and creates as many lines of flying that they can, meeting contractural obligations (min/max credit, min days off). Union reviews it before it is sent out to bid. Any leftover trips are put in a pool.

Step 2: Pilots bid on the lines that are built. You pick what you want, starting at your #1 choice going to however high you want to go. There are sort features so you can find what you are looking for. If you have the seniority to hold one of these "round 1" lines, then you get one.

Step 3: The company goes through the lines and removes flying from your schedule for any vacation, training, leave time (FMLA, Military), and from those that are scheduled to upgrade/flow/resign in the upcoming month. All of these trips get added to the leftover "pool" of flying.

Step 4: SAP. Schedule Adjustment Period. Anyone that has a R1 line can go in and swap with anything that is in the pool. You can trade 2 of your trips for 1 of the pool trips. You can swap a 4 day trip for a 1 day. Or, you can fly as much as you want, adding trips. The only rules are that you can't violate part 117 duty, and you can't drop below 65 hours. (There are a few rules around medicals due, or training due, but there are ways around all of these). There are absolutely no reserve buffers. ie. Every line holder can drop Christmas if they want to.

Step 5: All of the flying that is in this pool after the SAP closes are used to build as many Round 2 trips as are available. These R2 lines can be strictly flying, or flying with a few reserve days mixed in. These are published for bid.

Step 6: Everyone that does not have a R1 line is able to bid on their schedule. This will contain R2 lines, long call reserve, and short call reserve. You are able to get whatever your seniority holds.

Step 7: After everyone has a schedule, then "Seniority based" trading opens. Everyone can choose to try to swap trips with anything left in the pool, but unlike during the SAP, minimum reserve numbers are now a buffer.

Step 8: Pilot "first come, first served" opens. You can swap for whatever is in open time pool, but again it is subject to reserve grid minimums.

Step 9: Trades between pilots. You and another pilot can mutually agree to a swap of a trip between your schedules.