It happened a few times and I think the MEC chairman get involved and told the pilots to knock it off or expect consequences.

You guys are saying that there is nothing stopping a senior pilot from routinely trading their desirable vacation months to the same junior pilot?

 

Except you can’t trade vacation at HAL. You could tell them you are cancelling vacation so they could then pick it up but premium vacation spots have a requirement to be bid on again. Have you seen those emails before? Vacation time from July 1 through September 15 and December 20 through January 3 awarded and subsequently vacated before the runs are posted for that month shall be offered at the time vacated to pilot(s) in order of Seniority, beginning with the pilot just junior to the pilot who vacated the bid

 

I’ll go ahead and take getting vacation every year vs never being awarded vacation in over 7 years. You can’t really call it vacation if there aren’t enough slots for everyone to take it.

 

How’s that violating seniority? A senior guy can get his 30 days in July and then trade with whomever he pleases.

 

Well, it looks like you have your wish there, brother.

 

A junior pilot bidding at 100% shouldn’t be able to get Christmas Vacation or 4th of July vacation just because they are friends with the number 1 person. That is violating seniority.

What if people could trade vacancies? The person about to retire will give their Captain spot to their new hire friend….

 

Therein lies the problem. You’re conditioned to think this is somehow normal.

 

In theory this could happen but that’s a little extreme. To be honest most of this blossomed out of decades of line bidding. CA’s and FO’s flew together all the time, carpooled from Terminal G. FO upgrades and can’t hold summer vacation anymore to take little Johnny and family to the San Juan’s over the summer so said CA gifts his buddy new CA a week of his summer vacay. I’m like Shy I don’t really see anything wrong with this. I like our current system just want more allocations during those 3 low months.

A big improvement in the last contract was vacation any. I believe it’s extremely under utilized by this group but can add good flexibility in your vacation months.

 

I’m the pilot junior to the one who was awarded summer vacation and bid for it but didn’t get it. Now the new plug CA gets it and I don’t because I’m not friends with the guy who was awarded it?

 

I agree, the AS discount which arbitrarily restricts summer vacation slots - needs to go. All summer long I asked every OAL jumpseaters, how long it took them to hold summer vacation at their shop. Either seat at SW/UA/DL it was a fraction of the longevity to achieve it. Sad reality and currently at AS, most can hold summer vacation when it doesn’t matter anymore. I.e. your kids are all grown up. RN this doesn’t affect me, but it might some day. Just like being on reserve again as a junior CA. I fly with enough naive goodjet types who never saw how lousy it can be when you’re junior. But the few who have senior friends that snag them a week or two of summer vacation for them are doin just fine.

Not to mention a week of vacation allows a junior pilot to bid RLL and skip being on reserve entirely during the worst possible months to be on reserve.