This keeps coming up and needs to be laid to rest.

Per diem is NOT compensation. End of story.

You do not work 5 months a year! No you do not. You work the ENTIRE year. You can not work Jan-May and then call it a year. NOPE. You work 12 months a year, end of discussion.

Vacation is ONLY the days you are getting paid for. Year 1 you get NO vacation. Year 2 you get 14 days separated into 7 day blocks. Your vacation is worth ONLY those days. Sure you have other days, lead in/out days but those are not your vacation. They count toward your normal amount of days off in that month. So if you bid 76 and get 21 days assigned that month and it’s MAR and have 1 week of vacation. That gives you 1 block of 15 days off, which is one week of vacation and the rest of the month you have a total of a grand total of 6 days off max more likely a lot less. That’s it. So it can look like Mar 1-2off(seam) March 3-9 on, March 10-13(lead in days) March 14-20(paid vacation) March 21-24(out days) March 25-April 1 work. Looks fun doesn’t it...don’t worry they get payback in April to make up for it.

You can make out and make some extra cash but you have to work for it. You can extend and give up days at home, you can LUCK out and top 12.1 per week. The ONLY way to make more money is actually working for it and have lots of luck in being in the right fleet and right schedule etc etc etc. You have very little control over if you make extra money.

So in conclusion like everything else at NJA you have very little control over how much you make and what days you work. You know you will work a set amount of days per month. You have no control on CC over your schedule, extended days, OT and extra flight pay. Per diem is not income and you do NOT work just 5 months a year.