Originally Posted by Gunfighter

The junior pilot that "got screwed on reserve" wouldn't even be on the seniority list without mil leave. Staying at home wasn't the option, staying at a regional was. The senior pilot only got "screwed" if they submitted the APD at the same time as the mil leave. It's only a one PCS run window of opportunity. What about the one extra (optional for pilot) GS that went out because Delta already used up all the reserves? On a micro level you can find individual examples where the APD was missed by one PCS cycle, on a macro level it's a huge boost for pay and staffing.