Originally Posted by
TED74
One thing a line bit can do that a reserve bid cannot is “vacation any”. If you don’t need your vacation days off all in a string (or don’t want them that way) it can be an attractive option. Doesn’t offer any extra power to avoid coverage.
To
avoid coverage: No.
To "shape coverage advantageously": Maybe. Consider a situation where one wants a very specific set of days off, during a period likely to be hit with coverage. Now throw a VAC block on there, one which cannot effectively be moved due to that coverage, particularly at a seniority or in a category with only (or predominantly) longer trips. VACATION ANY may allow a specific trip that satisfies coverage (but would be otherwise unavailable due to one or more vacation days). Edge case, sure, but a valuable tool (as you say)--even if you're subject to coverage, I would argue.