Fred,

There's always a trade off here. If you want more days off, you'll have to work a lot of 4 leg days. The company builds the lines where everyone who holds a line has to hit XX hours.

Let's say you're SFB base and you're in the top 1/3 of FO's. December's bid just opened and you want 13+ days off. In the December bid the average line value will be 98 hours, with high lines being 103 and low lines say 88. If you want maximum days off you'll have to choose High, Medium, or Low for line value. Then you need to get to that specified number as soon as possible. So you can either bid for 4 leg days and hope you get them, or you can bid long trips like SFB-OMA.

This is how the system works regardless of your seniority. Now just for fun, we have 100% days which means no one in base will have that day off. The "system" will solve those days first, and then look at your bid. The only way to get a weekend off that isn't vacation, is to create a legality issue, such as 100 hours in 28 days.

Sorry for the long answer, but that's how it works here. Operational needs always come first. The company absolutely will not hire enough folks to cover the flying and increase the QOL.

 

Some of the best info right here. It seems to be more about understanding how the system processes the bids versus seniority. Still difficult to get more than 2 or maybe 3 off in a row and almost impossible if you are on the 80.

The actual schedules are posted ok the company website, G4 pilots dot com so you can see what real life is like.

 

This is true. Keep in mind this is also on the AB, the good longer high credit stuff is going over to the AB, the -80 is getting more and more of the short legs as it's fuel and mx costs are higher. Just pray you get the AB.

 

That's just your opinion.

 

The bus may be an easier gig but the 80 will likely be a quicker upgrade.

 

That depends. This last bid upgrades were right at a year on both for the quickest but that is base dependent and not the norm. Growth is only on the bus so that would see more available upgrades. But if 80 guys start being able to bid left seat bus that will accelerate the 80 upgrades again.

 

Yes, but if your a junior RSV CA in the -80 you will see 10 off in single day to two day blocks and won't see your house unless your TDY'd where you live. And I say TDY'd because most of the -80 CA bases aren't that junior, just the VBD 80 CA. That's why no one bids it.

 

Any speculation of what the 3 announcements at the "doozy" of a townhall will be on the 17th?

1. New paint job (saw a change to it at the Pemco hangar in TPA)
2. New base
3. No contract, ever...

 

Saf T bot is getting a big makeover i heard

 

Lol, I completely forgot about that thing.