Paddles

Since I have failed vacation bidding several times, a quick question if I may. Considering bidding reserve line with vacation in Oct. When your vacation footprint touches a "block" of R-days, does that entire block get dropped? If so, are those R-days rescheduled outside your Vacation footprint, or are they just charged to your vacation bank?


Thanks for helping the "bidding challenged"

Paddles

2cylinderdriver

There are a number of issues with R line vacations. Read the vacation section on reserve in the CBA, but here is the cliff notes:

The number of V days will remove the same number of R days. If you do not touch enough R days with the Vacation footprint including the buffer days then you submit a "request" of which R days to drop when they rebuild your line. You can waive the buffer on either or both end of the V days, but the days dropped are always in relation to the number of V days.

Reserve Extension: If you want (and have the hours in your bank) you can extend your vacation based on a formula in the CBA. Generally a 7 day vacation can be extended to 10. Meaning you can drop 10 R days.

Rebuilding the R line: They will leave as many original blocks of R days from the bid line. If you have not hit enough R days with your footprint then you will put in the bid processing window your requests for other days to drop. Bottom line, you will not drop an entire block of R days because it touches just some of the days necessarily. Bidding Reserve on vacation is a good deal, just be careful what line you bid to meet your needs.

Remember this: all R days AFTER your vacation will show leveling for the Vacation period, if you have R days before vacation then you will not benefit from any leveling time.

Hope this helps.

e. Reserve Vacation Extension
A pilot with vacation during a month in which he holds a
reserve line may extend the vacation that occurs in that month.
Vacation buffers shall then be added to the extended vacation
as provided in Section 7.G.3.a., unless waived by the pilot.
i. The maximum extension shall be determined by the
following formula:
Maximum Extension = ({[(Number of vacation days (as
Sec. 7.G.3.d.i. (continued)
30 October 2006 7-11
awarded or slid) in the bid period multiplied by 6) + 6]
÷ R-day value} rounded down) minus the number of
originally scheduled vacation days in the bid period.
Example: A pilot has a 7 day vacation period in a bid
period in which the R-day value is 4:36. The maximum
extension is
{[(7 x 6) +6] ÷ 4.600} - 7
= [(42 + 6) ÷ 4.600] - 7
= (10.434 rounded down) - 7
= 10 - 7 = 3.
Consequently, the pilot could add up to three days to his
vacation period. This would give him a total of 14 days
(presuming buffers could fi t on both ends of his vacation
period as extended). The pilot’s vacation bank would
be charged 46 CH (10 x 4.600), but only 7 vacation
days would be removed from his vacation accrual.

Paddles

Thanks, I think I have it...... Sometimes reading the contract and really understanding what it means are two different thinks all together.

fdx10

As far as extension, I don't believe you need the hours in your bank -- IE you can go in the hole -- or take from the future year

FDXer

If you slide, you can knock out as much as possible and go negative. This will apply towards next years bank. You cannot expand your vacation and go negative.

fdx10

I thought exspansion deals with Line Holders and Extension deals with Reserve. So, you believe extension can only happen if you have enough hours? I have a 7 day vacation -- bid reserve (because of seniority) -- but only have 15 hours vacation. I believed you could Extend 7 into 10, and go into the hole.
Am I wrong?

Thanks

FDXer

You need to have the credit hours in your bank to expand. You'll get your 7 days but unless you have more than 42 hours, you will not be able to expand it past that.