Originally Posted by
UGBSM
So what are some techniques for getting out of a rotation? I see even somewhat junior pilots in my category that drop all of their trips and just pick up broken trips all month long. How do they do it? How do you manage to get rid of a four day trip over a weekend? Im not talking about bidding Mon-Fri trips and then PD them. They don't APD, PD, IVD, or sickout yet somehow every month they do it. Is there a swap with the pot trick?
As you get close in and the trips start to break up, the reserve staffing can really go negative. That’s when you swap with your trips later in the month.
Don't discount IVDs. IVDs are very valuable as well, you get 2 plus an extra one for each extra vacation day awarded from the sick leave incentive. Lot of categories get 4 IVDs this year. You have to have vacation left in the year to use them though.
Pickup a trip late in the current month that conflicts with a trip early in the next month. Drops the trip in the following month regardless of reserve coverage.
Helps tremendously to live in base and you have to constantly hawk Icrew.
I’m sub 80% in category and have only had to do a 4-day trip 3 times since March.