Which is one of 1000 reasons the Reserve Availability List is crap. We need more transparency on that thing. Way too many times a pilot shows up but is not actually “available”.

Right. Same thing for the "buckets" everyone goes gaga about. They seem cut and dry, but unless its a large and usually properly staffed category, "you're always number one for something" because the entitlements that come with your bucket are still subject to a million other upstream factors.

While we're clearly never going back due to emotions and hypothetical hyperbole (woe as me, I got a 5 day because I was 1 RAW under the junior pilot! Waaaaaaa!) the old RAW only system with a 15 point Yellow boost was WAY more transparent than staggered overlapping buckets that may not even apply anyway because of many other factors for you and the other pilot in question.

How often are junior (bottom 5%) 765 reserves being used? Are they expecting a call every reserve stretch? Seems like there would be a lot fewer call outs on those trips, and fewer uncovered segments in general…

Well since it's back to 99% international, if you bid accordingly you can probably avoid a lot of reserve flying.....ie bid 4 day weekday blocks and not used by day one or two pretty hard to fit you into the flow. Precovid, the summers were so busy that reserve would go Senior because with the high ALV, many would take the 80hrs for the chance of catching a trip or two. Junior pilots couldn't hold reserve during summers. During the winter you could go months without a trip if you bid strategically.

Can the Company assign a reserve to a trip that releases at 0000 on an X day? Trip blocks in at 2330 on last day of a reserve block and release time is 0000 next day.

Yes if it is not a golden day.

Ok. Splitting hairs here, but if I’m only on reserve until 2359, how can I get assigned a trip that releases later?

Rhetorical question, just ranting…

Call and ask about payback days. Also ask if you were the correct person assigned since it should have been in a longer bucket. And ask if you're due additional pay.

It is a valid step in the coverage ladder to assign a trip that goes into off days that are not golden, but they have to be about outta Schlitz before they can touch you. Call as CBreezy suggested, and ask if the coverage ladder was followed - and ensure you get your payback day and premium pay.

It probably was, but at least you will know.

I was never assigned. I was watching and hoping a trip didn’t fall on me being top in my bucket. They went to the guy in the bucket with the additional day bucket.

FWIW my next day was a golden day which I hadn’t realized at first. Not sure if that affected it.