Originally Posted by Bucking Bar

The SC days are not bad, still I'm grateful for D-ALPA negotiations to reduce their frequency.

There are still some little holes that could be closed. For instance, say they have a trip that duties in 10, or 11, hours from now. As a long call pilot they would have to proffer this trip to you at premium pay. But, they instead convert you to Short Call at the required 10:00, then hold the trip out of "open time" and nail you at exactly the opening of your short call window for a duty in at, well, "NOW, we'll put it into the computer, do the best you can."

Most of us get in the shower, realize that if the jet is late hundreds of people will be effected and possibly their connections too. We drive as fast as our dilapidated 300,000 mile reserve airport beatermobiles will go through rush hour traffic and show with no breakfast, or even a cup of Joe.

At any airline the schedulers must "high five" when they grab an extra hour or two out of a pilot's coverage. Another trick is the short call for 4 hours in the morning, then put to rest for exactly eight and another short call sit that evening. They count these "two" short call periods as "one day."

Again, holes to be closed. I've never been used in the "bifurcated short call days" (my made up term) but I would call in fatigued if assigned a back to back red eye on one of those deals.