Originally Posted by
Bluedriver
If all we're talking about is getting a drop request, WTF is the ZERO for? If it's a race, no one person will be able to drop everything before 20 other pilots each make 1 drop each, and the grids go red. Still no one gets to zero. In the seniority drop windows, the first couple of guys get to drop to zero in small bases, and in big bases maybe 10 dudes can, before the grid goes red FOR EVERYONE ELSE! So we spend our negotiating capital to get these great red/green grid rules, hoping the majority of JB pilots finally get some relief in FLICA to be able to drop something or trade trips that might uncover a day, and not get hard denied. But instead of us getting to finally have a green grid, the grids are red because 3-10 guys dropped their entire schedules to sit VDA/Xlist/Ylist or work their non-aviation side job. Or for the dream that someday, maybe, I'm planning to possibly, drop a month and tour Europe on the Pig and a Poke Grand Prize package, once.
We can all take a month or two off, using a little PTO, for a vacation IF THE GRID IS GREEN. We NEED the red/green rules, but 100% pure no compromise DTZ is the way to ruin those red/green gains for the majority.
My opinion, obviously.
Bluedriver you don’t fully yet understand the red/green system.
Here we are April 8th and there’s only 2 red days in LAS on the captain grid the rest of April. Tomorrow, Easter is one of them.
Initial open time (seniority based) long ago ended in mid-March. Daily open time (first come first served) continues throughout the month. Anyone who truly wanted DTZ has already achieved that and the grid is still almost completely green allowing nearly complete flexibility for anyone who needs to adjust their schedule.
However, open time pairings are mostly the less desirable trips but there is still churn as pilots drop and swap with open time or as sick calls and broken pairings due to a variety of reasons end up in open time.
If I spontaneously decided to DTZ today well into the bid month I still could.
Your above mentioned scenario of just the top few pilots able to take advantage of DTZ is inaccurate. I’m ~55% in base and I could DTZ today if desired.
So just because we can DTZ that does NOT mean the grid the remains red the rest of the month. Pilots who drop trips have those trips swap into by others who prefer those dropped trips creating this mixing and matching of trips throughout the month.
Equilibrium is the ultimate goal of the Red/Green system. Some pilots drop. Other pilots pick up.