People somewhat in the know have told me that bookings look good after Feb. So maybe a normal post-holiday slump aggravated by consumer economic uncertainty.

In the past, airlines would just put a bunch of people on SCR, wasting their time and the company's money. Covid might have simply gotten them thinking outside of their usual box.

I've intentionally bid reserve during Jan/Feb, on the assumption I won't work much. From the company perspective, it doesn't hurt to offer it up. I'm not sure it's CBA-kosher since it's not company-wide, seniority based.