Why? How many pilots are actually cashing in hundreds of hours of PB days? Sure, it sounds cool….but I bet there aren’t that many. Also, there are far more commuters than RES pilots getting PB days.

 

Maybe instead of PB days, GS without days left in the month pay double? Or, all reserve pays double pay and reserve with conflict pays single with PB days

 

I could see a skywest pilot base... that's probably what they meant.

 

Then you have a fundamental lack of understanding of the effect of PB days. If it were only about banking lots of extra hours for some extra dough then the company wouldn't be so driven to eliminate them. PB days benefit all pilots in a category, both REG and RES, by driving staffing down to create more GS opportunities in the future. Remember, a RES GS is effectively a GS with conflict since it takes out roughly the same number of reserve days as the GS rotation flown. So every time a RES does a GS with LC remaining in the bid period it reduces staffing over those LC days. That's 1 less pilot that can be on SC to soak up a last minute rotation so there's a higher probability of it going green. Even banked days can have this effect if they are dropped on RES days. Remember that WB pilots cannot PD below the min RES block length, but can with a PB day. Take a 5 day block of reserve, drop a PB day on day 3, and now you're functionally useless to the company for almost 1/3 of your RES obligation for the month. And again that can drive more GS opportunities as more RES pilots sit at home unusable or now off over what was LC days. NB pilots can do the same thing (although they can PD as well if they want) but with PB days they're not taking the pay hit. Again, fewer available RES pilots = more chances for GS for the pilots in the category, both REG and RES.

And yes, many times people bank up some days, but that is a technique availble to all pilots whenever they choose to bid RES. Many who don't do RES regularly will do so in a month with vacation, and if you stack a bunch of X days at the end of the bid period you can set yourself up to get some banked PB days, either to cash in later for 7-15 hours each (category dependent) or use them to wipe out a REG trip or RES days with pay.

Believe me, if ALPA went to the company today and offered to eliminate PB days in lieu of RES GS paying double pay/no credit, they'd throw a party on the 4th floor.

Edit: I'm a commuter, AND I'm going to end this year with close to 25 PB days in the bank.

 

I'd also give up 5 days and Silver slips.



It's not just the pilots cashing them in that benefit from PB days, and there are probably a lot more than you think cashing in on them. I'd wager than even a fair amount of reserve commuters are cashing in on PB days, especially now that they start getting awarded so far out. I'm not opposed to the idea of more bases, but giving up PB days wouldn't be where I'd look first.



Yup. I once parlayed 15 PB days into 4 months of reserve of never being on call more than a day at a time. There are quite a few of us doing that during that time and GS flew off the shelf those months. Most of which, I did not take as I waited until all my reserve days were over.

 

As I said in my post above, the company would jump for joy at that. Huge cost and staffing savings for the company under that scenario. One of the beauties of bidding RES and doing GS is there is no GS trigger you need to reach. A REG pilot needs to give the company ~13 days of flying per month (not counting VAC months) to "earn" that double pay. A RES pilot can under the right circumstances not fly at all on RES and still will get full premium pay + PB days for a GS. Plus you have to remember that RES have fewer opportunities to GS in the first place assuming they want full pay instead of flying a GS partially over LC days. Most RES pilots have 16-17 LC days per bid period, leaving 13-14 days to grab a GS. A REG pilot can work a min schedule to the trigger, plus if they want a REG pilot can also drop/swap well below the trigger to open up many more days for premium flying and then pick back up to the trigger later. That option is not available to RES pilots.

 

SkyWest base already exists.

 

This should be common knowledge for everyone. If you are normally a REG and bid RES for credit on VAC or CQ months you can guarantee yourself more pay. If you then yellow slip on your LC days to make it the same as a REG line for commuting purposes there's no back up required day 1. Also you will credit 15ish hours more per week of vacation in that month and 5ish more hours per CQ day. All while having the opportunity to get PBs if you choose. If you aren't bidding RES during months with VAC and CQ, then you're doing it wrong. The added utility of PBs during the month allows you to effectively move your off days to where you want them if you got coverage days by bumping them back later in the month. 4 coverage days awarded in AUG on PBS and I never sat RES on any of them.

 

I thought you lost the no backup commute protection if you were awarded a trip on a YS instead of assigned a trip (for the <18 hr from start of LC). Am I doing it wrong?

 

You do. It's an assignment before 1800 on the first day, not award. You are awarded a YS. It should be noted that a preference qualifier has the power of a YS but is NOT a YS so any trips from them are assignments