Originally Posted by
nene
I think what he is alluding to is that on the 737/320 you only need to be "on call" in 3day blocks so it can be easier to take days and move them (presuming there is adequate manning) then on the 757/767 where you have to leave "on call" days in 4 day blocks.
(As a public service to newer guys, this rule does not apply to PBS bidding at the beginning or end of the month or when touching training.)
IDK, moving reserve days is already tough due to manning constraints unless your trying to move a Tuesday to a Wednesday etc.
Some people like the strategy of just putting all your reserve days together anyway as it forces the company to at least give you a free 30hr rest every 7 days.
Personally, I often like bidding weekday reserve vs a line over the weekends as I get better or no trips vs guaranteed weekend flying.
Some ATL pilots bid/fly mostly high credit/block island turns with few RON's. Their schedule would make a commuter cringe.
There really are as many strategies as there are pilots because what is valuable to some, is poison to others.
The 757/67 has maybe another decade left in it, the 737 will be here when you retire.
Minor point of clarification: yes, at the end of a month when you are bidding for reserve you can have less than the required number of LC days (3 or 4 depending on your fleet), but when the next month rolls around PBS will force you (if you bid reserve again) to add as many LC days in the following bid period to bring you up to the required number of days. So you can’t be off Nov 29, bid one LC day on Nov 30th, AND get PBS to give you Dec 1 off if you bid reserve in December. If you go from reserve to regular you are allowed to “strand” those day(s) at the end of the prior bid period. Also I think if you have a regular line trip that either ends on the last day of the bid period or carries into the following bid period those trip days are looked at like they are LC days for following the 3 or 4 day length rule.