1 month of reserve is all it takes to bank the pay and PBs necessary to have 3 months of regular line pay and 6ish days of flying per month. Obviously the majority can't do this every month but if everyone bid reserve 2 months a year and figured it out there would be altars built to honor the PB.

The flood of PBs I got this past year (2022) was excessive. So many that I'm having a hard time cashing them all in by March 31st. This is not normal or necessary for the schedule I described. 6-8 banked PBs per year has worked marvelously in every seat at every seniority level I've been at.

X day rules do not apply to placement of PB days.

Exactly. In some widebody categories just 3 or 4 PB days basically guarantees a whole month off. It’s a thing of beauty.

I’ll type slowly.

We know how it works.

Some of us aren’t interested. My working spouse generates more income than rolling thunder might. I’m home plenty to enjoy my family and navigate a thousand moving parts, many of which are scheduled weeks if not months in advance. We’ve decided it’s better to raise our own kids rather than contracting some or all of it out. I don’t enjoy flying the aircraft where better category seniority could be had.

Disagree with my work/life calculus all you like. But if you think anyone who isn’t rolling thunder must not understand how it works (and hasn’t done it themselves on occasion), you might be mistaken.

​​​​​​Interesting! I could see how that could have benefited some hugely! As a narrowbody rsv lifer, I don't have too much heartache over the silver slips. I didn't like having to play the payback day game to avoid work. But realistically, I don't see the company being able to use silver slips effectively enough when we get short to avoid rsv greenslips anyways. The only time I see silver slips having much of an effect are around holidays, and I don't care to pickup greenslips then regardless....I just hope we get back to being "properly staffed" so I can stop working so hard to not work so hard 😖. We seem to be getting closer.

My spouse doesn't work and we enjoy each other even more. ;) The kids always have a parent at home. I don't mean to belittle your home life and choices, you brought it up. On many reserve months I just GS the last few days for the sole purpose of banking PBs. Then I have the discretion to use them as a REG or RES. I'm not saying everyone should try to roll thunder every month by putting themselves on the company leash. But they should know the value of the PB and how it can be exploited and how that exploitation benefits their entire category. I used the word exploit because it's a kin to the definition I use for the optimizer. It's already being done to you, there is no shame in successfully using tools for your own gain, just ask management. And for all the naysayers about poor Delta and the business: $2.7B in profits was a bad year.

and then there's this... https://www.cbsnews.com/news/owed-em...or-wage-theft/

tennisguru in post #60 has a great example (IMO) of how the company will use Silver Slips to successfully maintain an understaffed category.



A5S

What’s everyone’s thoughts on how the SSs will play out within each category? I have a feeling you’ll have to be in the top 25% to ever see one, even accounting for the pickup limit.

See tennisguru's post #60 in this thread. That IMO is exactly how the company will use SSs to run an understaffed category.

A5S

If my spouse didn’t work, I would roll thunder. You’re pretty lucky to have the option and I’m pretty lucky not to need it.