There are 4 main things you can do to help get a line…

1. Waive minimum days off to 1.
NavBlue won’t build a line with day off blocks being less than 3 unless the pilot waives that. The downside is that you can wind up with a line with a single day off in between trips. That’s no fun as a commuter.

2. Waive 1 calendar day off in 7.
NavBlue won’t build a line without giving at least 1 calendar day off (00:00-23:59) in a 7 day stretch unless it’s waived. The FARs require 30 hours off in 7 days, but not necessarily a calendar day. The downside is that you can wind up with a line where you don’t get a whole day off in a 14 day period.

3. Waive no same day pairings.
NavBlue won’t build you a line with 2 separate pairings touching the same day. For example, if you finish at 7am on a redeye into base, NavBlue will not give you a 9pm report for a different pairing that same day, unless you waive that provision. The downside is that the resulting schedule could be quite fatiguing.

4. Bidding for a Reduced Lower Limit (RLL) line.
An RLL is a “mixed” or “buildup” line. It’s comprised of both trips and reserve days. You won’t be awarded one unless you ask for it, and even then only if you don’t have the seniority to hold a regular line.