No, you only get paid your BLG or RLG. The vacation days and the trips they conflict determine your days off for the month. In your first scenario above, you would simply fly your regular line and use no vacation hours. The leftover vacation hours, up to 40% of your yearly total, as mentioned above, will be paid at the end of the year.

 

Yes, you do. How could you not be paid vacation pay over and above your BLG if no trips conflict with the vacation period? You've flown all of the trips (earned the $$$) and you're entitled to the vacation pay per the contract.

My personal preference (I live in domicile) is to bid reserve during vacation months. I have a LOT of control of my reserve days during the month and I end up with a positive balance in my vacation bank. And I get a nice check in December to pay the Christmas bills. But a lot of people will scream that I'm all screwed up to do it. It's worked for me for years.

 

Ranger, are you saying (using the above example) that if you have 2 days of vacation (12 hours) and the line you bid pays 78 hrs and doesn't touch your vacation (no conflicts with trips or buffers,) the company will pay you 90 hours in that month? (not as part of the Dec 31 buyback)

Admittedly, I have only been here 11 or so years, but that has never been my experience. They will take the days out of the bank (BFD,) but the 12 hours will stay and be eligible for buyback. See the applicable section below.

I know the reserve rules are different, and I usually bid Rsv in the months I have vacation, but the times I have had a line during a vacation month, it has worked as stated below. Vacation adds no pay, but conflicted trips subtract from your bank. No conflict, no bank use.

Obviously, unused vacation bank under 40% of your yearly total gets bought back on Dec 31st. I've got 25 or so hours left over this year, and am looking forward to that extra year end check.


"Section 7G. Vacation Bank Administration

1. Regular Line Holder

A regular line holder shall be removed from a trip(s) in conflict with his vacation period (as awarded or slid) or vacation expansion. Conflict with an international duty free buffer, as described in Section 12.D.1.d., shall constitute a conflict with the trip protected by that buffer and may not be waived. The SCH value of the removed trip(s) shall be deducted from the pilot's vacation credit hour bank."

 

magic rat: I would suggest you sit down with a sponsor or another crewmember on a layover and discuss the vacation system. It can be confusing and a lot of guys goof up using it, and it appears to me that you might not understand it as well as you could.

Just a suggestion, be happy to pm you if you have questions as well, but of course I am no expert either, but may be able to help some.

 

You get paid on Dec 31 whatever vacation hours you haven't used for the year, up to the 40% rule.

 

I agree with fdx727. Magic Rat, we have a great vacation policy. You have great latitude in manipulating your line weather you're bidding trips or reserve lines. I agree with the other posts and would get in touch with contract enforcement or a senior bud. This is one part of the contract you should really get to know!!

 

I had to dig my copy of the contract out and actually read it. Novel experience.

I've always bid reserve in vacation months. Because I've ALWAYS been a junior swine it gives me a good balance between the maximum days off and some control over when I end up working. And I can extend the vacation period and end up with more days off for the month. So I have to admit that I've never looked at the rules for a line holder vacation. But after actually reading the rules for line holders, you're right. You get the days deducted from your bank but not the hours if you take your vacation with no conflict. What a waste of perfectly good time away from work.

Thanks for the education.

 

Good answer, Ranger. Good answer.

 

For new guys out there --- here's a key concept to learn/remember:

Vacation days and vacation hours are NOT synonomous.

Once you get a grasp of that concept, the other parts begin to fall in line.

 

DITTO !! Your vacation days are your absolutely, positively "guaranteed" days off within the bid month. Your vacation hours are what you exchange from your bank for work/trip hours in your schedule - theoretically resulting in extra time off that month.

But there are a lot of potential gotcha's in making that exchange, especially when carryover situations are involved. Read the contract and ask other crewmembers their experiences. If you are still confused, check with your vacation/futures scheduler (they input the stuff). And finally, verify with contract enforcement if the answer seems "not quite right". Get your answers before the bid closes, because there is little recourse afterwards.

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