This is what happens when the trip coverage ladder isn’t being followed. There’s no way to know if you’re a dealmaker. Awarding an IA instead of a GS is the same thing as awarding GS 1 to someone junior. The senior pilot is losing money for a trip he/she should have flown. At least in the GS situation, a scheduler can be held accountable. In our current state of affairs, there’s no transpsrency.

Pilots are ****ed. Now taking it out on you isn’t right, but you are the junior pilot flying the trip that he contractually should have gotten before you. There could have been a pilot senior to him that wanted it too.