Here's the big thing. I'm not mad at you for getting prime vacation days. I'm mad at you for not recognizing that the company staffs just enough days to keep the senior cadre happy, and the rest of us can go pound sand.
If they staffed better, they could afford more time off during peak travel days. But they don't. And the insiders don't care because your drunken, lawn-mowing, vacation trading network.
Also, don't flash around your 40 days of vacation like it's really 40 days. It's 25 days tops. Because this contract's build back to 75 hours minimum, you are spending 3.5 hour vacation days to cover 5.5 hour flying days. It will never be 1:1.
Either Alaska pilots are really bad at math when they signed that deal, or they enjoy lying to themselves.