Originally Posted by tallpilot

The only flexibility in the summer months is turning pass all off, balloting high credit trips and trying to race to 79:46 (the minimum to make the 5:15 daily credit enough to exceed the 85 limit) before your last day of availability. Then one can get 3-4 days off guaranteed at the end of the bid period, perhaps even a couple more with very judicious placement of the guaranteed 4 day off block.

The slower months aren't quite as brutal but flexibility (defined as getting specific days off) remains quite limited for the junior pilot.