Originally Posted by
ThumbsUp
I don’t think you really understand what PBS is. You specify the trips, flavor of trips, days, etc. that you want. How that resembles what was your first choice depends on your seniority. With the exception of the g-line and it’s effect on junior schedules, I don’t think it’s really much different than what you do.
On reserve, days off depends on the season. Summer has higher reserve utilization. It’s the 20th today, and one FO on reserve has under 5 hours of block and 7 short calls. Someone with better knowledge of our current reserve rules can correct me if I’m wrong, but that could mean 80 hours credit so far this month for a one day trip. It’s almost a non-factor, though. The junior DEN737FO lineholder in March was hired in mid October. They probably hit the line in Jan, so 2 months of reserve, unless they want to sit reserve longer because it’s easy and you don’t fly much right now. Although reserve can be a real money maker now for doing very little. If I weren’t a commuter, I’d be on reserve right now and I’m a senior lineholder.
Credit of what you’re awarded vs what you fly is not the same. NB senior pilots get lower credit awards, but also have more gaps in their schedule to get premium pay trips. NBFOs can bid on LCA trips and pick up premium on top of the trips the trips that were bought off, if you’re looking to make more $$.
In the summer, I generally only fly premium trips when I’m not on vacation. I also cap my flying at 10 days, so the best I can do in about 10 days is about 110 hours in a non-vacation month.
Days off in vacation month varies with the line credit range published for that month. As an example, with a range of 70-82 hours, you would have about 22 days off with 1 week of vacation for 75 hours of credit.
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I worked under PBS for 11 years. It can be good or bad depending on how it's set up. I still prefer line bidding....1 week of vacation next month and bid into a overlap conflict. Credit 90 with 6 days work and 27 days off in a row. Not a chance in hell I would've ever seen that with PBS...but again...depends how it's set up. I bid a line for March due to the vacation conflict pay. I'll bid rsv again in April and beyond because it pays really good with lower block liability. You can't make guarantee on rsv...when they award you a trip your credit goes up. Nobody sits a month with just 5 hrs block....which could be a pro or a con depending if you want to grow a beard or not. We get 15/16 days off on rsv. Line holders are 16-20 without vacation. We don't do red-eyes...yet, trips are mostly either AM or PM with more commutable being build now under new cba. Majority of trips are 3 days, no 5+ day trips anywhere. 2-3 leg days are normal, some might have 1, some might have 4 if it's CA/TX/HI flying
They're both good companies....just depends on if you want the chance to fly something other than a 737 or go to another continent while at work....things that may not be on everyone's wish list. If I were 15 yrs younger, I'd personally be going to UAL.