Why is it called a bucket? Why not a pit of despair?

 

Nope, that's what I thought........I just let myself get confused.....and I'm easily confused.

Just looking at the guys in my base/category for today, there are lots of guys who have not flown or sat one short call. Those who have flown look like they did one 3 day trip but I couldn't figure out any rhyme or reason for 4 vs 0 shortcalls.

 

You can also put in a request to be first for shortcall. That could also influence results.

 

But you cannot put in a refusal to sit SC.

On the ATL88B, looks like everyone hit their 3 SCs for the month, a few hit 5 or 6 SCs but that may have been on request. I still don't get 0 raw, 0 hours, 0 SCs.

With the SC bucket system, how does anyone not have any SCs? We've got 5 guys with 0 raw, 0 hours and 2 SCs between all 5.

The new SC buckets are pretty worthless. The notion is good but it's not being spread out.

 

Good point, but that won't be me since I commute

Well, actually, I guess I'll do that once I have to go up the first time (I'm betting Superbowl Sunday) and hope that 2 will be enough.

What I really need to do is come up with a bidding strategy to limit my exposure. All I've ever done for the reserve is ask for 5 days off in a row, which I've found out the hard way doesn't mean 5 days off between assignments. I got 11 on 3 off 5 on and the rest of the month (more than 5 days off). Not exactly what I was hoping for.

I had a friend suggest a Monday th Thursday on weekends off strategy. He is real senior on reserve but he says he never sits shortcall (another commuter).

All thoughts from the pros to the rookie welcome......I'm not on your jet so I won't be hurting ya

Ferd

 

WRT to the bucket system, the original intent of it was to bring "seniority back into reserve." But seniority had never left reserve. When I used to sit around #5 or so on reserve out of 80-110 pilots, I wouldn't fly to week 3 or 4. Reserve definitely was definitely involved.

EXCEPT in one place - Short Call. SC was worth 0. It was assigned haphazardly and was a very frustrating system to plan around. I'll say what I've said from day 1 of the bucket system, it was SC that needed to be fixed. When guys complained about it, the senior guys, it was about SC.

And it was. The fact SC counts now towards RAW, the fact you can demand SC and request times or not demand it but still put in times in case they assign it is great. Love it. Well, I'd love it more if scheduling actually would abide by it. I call more often than I like to point out they didn't actually read the requests.

Around the time the buckets came out or before it things got a little cloudier on reserve because they changed the staffing formula to basically no pilots available on the weekends. Great, we all get weekends off but man if you don't, you're flying. The only way to solve that is to change that formula. Bet that won't be popular.

Anyways, when they fixed SC they also created the 80 RAW bucket. That's ridiculously high on low flying months and here is why: To which someone would say, that's okay, they're junior. They deserve it. That's the way the system works, blah blah blah.

What is junior? What is senior? That example I gave doesn't have to be between pilot #1 and pilot #110. It can in theory be between pilot #35 and pilot #34.

IMHO; drop the bucket thresholds by 20-30 points each and SC assignments need to be computerized.

 

Columbia--"Pit of despair". Awesome. Still laughing since I had my second short for Jan after flying on 10 other days. And called out this morning. And expecting short call tomorrow afternoon once my required 24 hr in 7 dat break ends. Ha. Pit of despair. Love it.

 

Of course, on a month like February they cut down on how many reserves there are. Most people who bid reserve intentionally in my category are probably about 20-30% or more below where they thought they'd be given we have about 20% fewer reserves.

 

Having only sat 2 SC and flew (1) 4 day trip since September, I hate to say this, but I agree with what you are saying! Now, I recently head that the schedulers are being taken out the equation of assigning SC's (in my category SC's where assigned only in the 5 day bucket unless you requested it). I would bid 4 days on 3 days off Monday thru Thursday and not get touched. I guess the company has a computerized system now that assigns SC's to spread the love around. I have not confirmed this since I avoid talking to scheduling unless it is absolutely necessary. By the way I'm junior in category.

 

Easiest way is to pay $50 to Flightline and have them send you an expense report. It uses the max you can deduct for each meal without having receipts. It's also a flight log etc. I've gotten it since they started and, for $50 its soooooo worth it. They also say if you don't save at least $50 they will give you your money back.

Manually via DBMS, I have no idea. Sorry

Denny