Originally Posted by
Cyio
This. It's often the more senior guys/gals that are doing the game correctly because even at about two years in, I can't clear my board for ****, at least not the flying in my base; perhaps other bases are different. In addition, it's stressful to wonder about your pay even when you clear it because it seems I am awarded a much lower premium than I think I should. If I had 20 years, 1000 sick trips, and five weeks of vacation here with a few million in the bank, I would be much more willing to gamble, but to say that "flying the line" is cringe is a tad shortsighted, in my opinion.
"Clearing you board" and flying premiun are very base and seat specific. It is much easier to clear your board in my expereince in non-commuter base IF you can hold turns, 2 days, and high paying/commuatble 3 days because more is taken from TTGA in those bases. When it comes to ELITT, FOs are much more likley to trade up on duty periods creating NZs than CAs from my perspective. Of course, everything I just said goes out the window when it's really slow as everyone will be trading up in ELITT and everything will go from TTGA, but of course then you can't get OT. This might be the case in the fall since looks like no VPTO (thank you SWAPA).
Premium is easier when you live in a commuter city and willing to bid in the late hours for the super early AM trips. However, I'd argue that easy rigged trips are the new premium (well and weekday reserve). Fly out at 2100 and DH back by 1200 the next day, sign me up for as much as that as possible. There is no more "bait and switch" because if they mess with day 2, it's big money in LCO.