Originally Posted by
AFW_MD11
not sure if that's true, just the rumor I heard.
And that after the fact, the VTO holder was given the option of 1) flying the trip at 150%, 2) dropping the trip and selecting Substitution - then the trip would be awarded back to them at 100% as a Sub trip, or 3) dropping the trip and refusing the trip in Substitution and being able to pick up another trip in OTP (110%) - but there weren't any trips to pick up, so you basically lose the pay for the trip that month and it sits in your OTP bank unuseable.
So, basically, by violating the contract, and then dangling the 150% carrot in front of the guy, the DP gets flown by a "volunteer" and undermines the process even more than if someone had picked it up out of straight open time (because the company violates the intent/letter of the contract by putting the DPs on a VTO line unrequested)
......of course......this all ass-u-me-s that these guys did NOT "specifically request" these pairings for their VTO requests.......
.......OR......as apparently is the case of Captain M.F., these guys all got Reserve lines on their VTO and the company already put them on these trips.......only M.F. has clarified so far....
we may never know, 'cause if they did ask for them, they probably won't fess up to it on this web board anyway.
You guys are on the right track, but let's not drift off into left field. Since you're asking for hands raised--I'll be glad to. Names CA. Dead last on the C list in ANC. That was probably me you guys are getting your hackles wound up about, after I posted my saga here a couple months ago. My bud MS (he of the "bid VTO opposite of what you want" theory) assigned a DP on a VTO when it was NOT specifically requested. And the game was on.
I'm sure there are more. Not all are DP fliers by choice. Oh.. I just flew with a guy who filed a complaint/grievance with the union over VTO scheduling. Seems he asked for an "R" line in ANC, and got a line. But he was senior to 15 of the guys below him...some of who got an "R" line instead.
So the system isn't perfect, and sometimes it's a lot less than that, but sometimes bringing this stuff into the open is a step in the right direction. Hey, with a little luck and a tailwind it just might improve...