Payback day trick
08-22-2024 | 03:13 PM
#11
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,331
Likes: 385
It also only works if you have positive coverage needed to drop.
A PB day used to drop a reserve day gets you ~4:30 per day. As was said in a NB category putting them in the middle of a 3 or 5 day reserve block is a very tactical use. Just remember that a TOFF day is a hard no fly day, so you cannot get a GS/IA or anything else on that day.
Unsued days earned this year fully convert to vacation days April 1 2025. Vacation days in the next vacation year will be with 4:35, so roughly the same value as a dropped reserve day.
In the end, I’d highly recommend using just picking a month to bid REG and burn them. NB categories can get 8-12 hours per PB day. WB categories kill it with 12-16+. If you don’t burn the days with a month as a REG then you just need to figure out when you want to utilize that time off. You can use it sporadically throughout reserve months tactically dropping days or use them in one big chunk when they convert to vacation and tag onto one of your awarded weeks next vacation year. Or some combination of the two depending on how many days you’ve got banked.
One last thought for people who like the thought of converting them to vacation (SUPP days) to make for a longer vacation period - this is still a very inefficient use. You’d be better off burning the PB days for 9+ hours each. Since that time is pay and credit you can bank hours over 80, up to 20 in a bid period. Then you can buy vacation days for 4:35. So you can let one PB day convert to 4:35, or if you can burn that PB day for 9:10 and bank the time, that same single PB day then buys 2 vacation days for the next vacation year.
A PB day used to drop a reserve day gets you ~4:30 per day. As was said in a NB category putting them in the middle of a 3 or 5 day reserve block is a very tactical use. Just remember that a TOFF day is a hard no fly day, so you cannot get a GS/IA or anything else on that day.
Unsued days earned this year fully convert to vacation days April 1 2025. Vacation days in the next vacation year will be with 4:35, so roughly the same value as a dropped reserve day.
In the end, I’d highly recommend using just picking a month to bid REG and burn them. NB categories can get 8-12 hours per PB day. WB categories kill it with 12-16+. If you don’t burn the days with a month as a REG then you just need to figure out when you want to utilize that time off. You can use it sporadically throughout reserve months tactically dropping days or use them in one big chunk when they convert to vacation and tag onto one of your awarded weeks next vacation year. Or some combination of the two depending on how many days you’ve got banked.
One last thought for people who like the thought of converting them to vacation (SUPP days) to make for a longer vacation period - this is still a very inefficient use. You’d be better off burning the PB days for 9+ hours each. Since that time is pay and credit you can bank hours over 80, up to 20 in a bid period. Then you can buy vacation days for 4:35. So you can let one PB day convert to 4:35, or if you can burn that PB day for 9:10 and bank the time, that same single PB day then buys 2 vacation days for the next vacation year.
08-22-2024 | 03:17 PM
#12
Roll’n Thunder
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,174
Likes: 584
From: Pilot
I had a couple that I burned for 10:30 last year on the 717. It has to be a long one day trip with high credit and a lot of EDP/SIT. Several 5 day rotations in Sept have first days worth 8 to 8:30.
08-22-2024 | 03:25 PM
#13
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,331
Likes: 385
Still, for a first-year unable to hold a line to burn PB days, a vacation day on 2nd year pay with a calendar year bump can be worth 6+ hours of first-year pay (on 717, more than that on others.)
Last edited by Verdell; 08-22-2024 at 03:35 PM.
08-22-2024 | 03:31 PM
#14
Roll’n Thunder
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,174
Likes: 584
From: Pilot
Just to clarify, soft credit on a multi-day rotation is only paid if you use enough PB days to cover every day of the trip (specifically, it must cover the last day when soft credit is paid out). So a 1 day trip obviously pays all soft credit on the PB day. But on the 717 there are high block first days of multi day trips that pay 8+ not counting any soft credit. Maybe not every single bid period, but they do come up.
08-22-2024 | 03:54 PM
#15
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,098
Likes: 2
From: Hates Commuting
One last thought for people who like the thought not using banked days and letting them convert to vacation (SUPP days) to make for a longer vacation period - this is still a very inefficient use. You’d be better off burning the PB days for 9+ hours each. TOFF time is pay and credit and you can bank credit hours over 80, up to 20 in a bid period. Then you can buy vacation days for 4:35. So you can let one PB day convert to 1 SUPP day worth 4:35, or if you can burn that PB day for 9:10 and bank the time, that same single PB day then buys 2 SUPP vacation days for the next vacation year.
True—unless you need/want more than 10 additional vacation days (the bank limit). In this case, and assuming the time is more important than the dollars, the SUPP days are the way to go.
Doesn’t really apply to me any more, but I used this several times when I was more junior to make an extended summer vacation period.
08-22-2024 | 04:27 PM
#16
On Reserve
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Where to increase my PB knowledge…
I have a relatively young family, so for the most part I've been happy to fly my monthly bid and spent time at home. On the few times when I've tried putting in green slip, I have yet to even get a call. I realize that greenslips are seniority based, so I understand not getting calls (hopefully I have ARCOS set up correctly). Where can I go to get smarter on PB days. I've recently picked up a couple trips off the pilot trade board, to increase my monthly credit. Is it possible to use swap/pickup trips and put them in my bank?
08-22-2024 | 04:44 PM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,019
Likes: 193
Ive never seen EDP worth more than about 2h45m/day. Are these 12 hour days in the bid packet or are they broken up trips with a monster deadhead?
Also, EDP and SIT is kinda new. It’s my understanding it’s paid on the last day, so you have to drop the entire trip with PBs to get it, right? First day method doesn’t work (unless it’s a 1-day).
Also, EDP and SIT is kinda new. It’s my understanding it’s paid on the last day, so you have to drop the entire trip with PBs to get it, right? First day method doesn’t work (unless it’s a 1-day).
08-22-2024 | 05:10 PM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,286
Likes: 18
08-22-2024 | 05:11 PM
#19
Roll’n Thunder
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,174
Likes: 584
From: Pilot
Ive never seen EDP worth more than about 2h45m/day. Are these 12 hour days in the bid packet or are they broken up trips with a monster deadhead?
Also, EDP and SIT is kinda new. It’s my understanding it’s paid on the last day, so you have to drop the entire trip with PBs to get it, right? First day method doesn’t work (unless it’s a 1-day).
Also, EDP and SIT is kinda new. It’s my understanding it’s paid on the last day, so you have to drop the entire trip with PBs to get it, right? First day method doesn’t work (unless it’s a 1-day).
Just to clarify, soft credit on a multi-day rotation is only paid if you use enough PB days to cover every day of the trip (specifically, it must cover the last day when soft credit is paid out). So a 1 day trip obviously pays all soft credit on the PB day. But on the 717 there are high block first days of multi day trips that pay 8+ not counting any soft credit. Maybe not every single bid period, but they do come up.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
