Broken trip is where your existing pairing gets modified because 1) you won’t be legal to complete it as published 2) they need you more somewhere else. It’s somewhat nuanced depending on the situation, but if they just need you somewhere else and emergency reassign you, it pays 150%. The 190 does more short stuff, more often being affected by EDCTs/ground stops/etc., both from a proximity standpoint and frequency standpoint. This causes more delays throughout the day. When you aren’t legal for all of your trip, now those legs need to be covered, so they create an ad hoc pairing out of it. With current staffing levels, they will be lucky if they have a reserve to cover it, so it usually goes to 200% guys. Oh, and they like to put out fires that are immediate even if it means a bigger fire happens down the road. So if they need you to come in early to cover something, either day of or day prior, they’ll often buy off your 2-4 day trip and have you cover whatever they need immediate coverage for at 200% (pay protecting you for that other trip). So you can work at 300% by doing that. That takes some luck and timing, and maybe some seniority on the VDA list, but JFK190FO isn’t very senior or very deep, so it isn’t that hard.

regarding JFK190 vs JFK320 open time, there are like 650 or so active 320 pilots in each seat in JFK, and less than 100 on the 190. So call it 6:1 or 7:1 ratio of 320:190 pilots. And the 320 guys are more senior than the 190 guys. And there are a lot more 320 guys on reserve on a given day than 190. All that equates to less probability of getting anything premium on the 320.

So in short, you can make money mid trip if you are emer assigned to operate something else, and you can make 200% if you are disrupted beyond your original footprint. Then on your day off it’s pretty easy to pick up VDA (200%). Flew with a guy who has been crediting 240+ consistently over the last 6 months (he’s making a lot more than I am sitting right seat flying at 200% most days). Know of a JFK190CA who grossed over 60k in Jan (with the help of some 300% days).

If and when they ever get staffing and the operation under control, that will stop. But, I don’t foresee that happening in the next 12 months. If you’re junior and want to hustle, bid reserve Mon-thurs or tues-Fri and VDA weekends. Once a little more senior, and you can hold those days off with a line, do that, then try to bid 1-2 day trips and drop what you can then VDA days off. But, I think 320 side will always be staffed a little better than the 190 side, and junior guys I fly with seem to get VDA constantly when they want it. And they are getting cold called for it without even putting in for VDA. I don’t hear about the same chaos (at least not as frequently) from my friends on the 320 side.