Originally Posted by
Gunfighter
LCA trip buys arent the only way to FO nirvana. Reserve GS has been lucrative without increasing days worked. Reserve GS with banked PB days is even better, because it becomes pilot choice of days or dollars. I've had several reserve months worth 160 hours "working" six days (Unused LC, 2 SC + 4 day GS). A month with one res trip, SC, and a GS you still have 18 days off with >120 hours. 2023 was better than 2024 because of silver slips and increased utlization of WBB reserves. 2025 could pull the rug out from senior WBB and drive WBA more senior.
I’ve seen multiple categories where the GS game has been drastically reduced, and with hiring 1000/yr those buy offs are going to get more rare then they have been the last few years. Even the people that have been here a long time and seen a lot lost some perspective.
And if you want to plan your commutes and not live tied to a phone, and have some flexibility in days worked, a junior upgrade is enticing. But as the grave train normalizes, I bet even NBA continues to get more senior.