We aren't in negotiations, but our BLG is being trimmed to minimum and seat realignments are in the works.

By not using every hour of vacation, we are unintentionally helping the company reduce their staffing model. This in turn reduces the number of pilots needed. Think of it this way... If every pilot sells back only an average of 10 hours of vacation, this adds up to 47000 hours of flying that is done when we should be out at the lake. It also adds up to about 52 less pilots on the property. My guess is that the average is actually quite a bit higher than 10 hours, but you can see the impact.

I'm not telling anybody what they should do with their vacation. We all have different priorities and needs and will make our decisions accordingly. But, I do think it's important for us all to realize that these decisions do have an impact on others, and not just during negotiations.