I have been trying to get one since Thursday. Too many guys are getting white slips.

Here is the actual verbiage from the Scheduling Reference Handbook. Maybe the coverage has to be good for the whole trip...

Q: Can I use payback days in a regular line month to drop a trip? How will I be paid?

A: Yes, by mutual agreement with Crew Scheduling. You may enter your request in PCS under “Leave Requests” by selecting “Payback Days.” Your pay will depend on the number of payback days available for use. If the number of days available are sufficient to cover the entire rotation, that number of days will be used and you will be paid for the entire rotation. If the number of days is not sufficient to cover the entire rotation, all available payback days will be placed on the days of the rotation, beginning with the first of such days, and you will be paid the value of those days only. You will forfeit any pay or guarantee for the remainder of the rotation. Note that credit resulting from application of duty rigs is always tied to the last duty period of the rotation.

Denny

He could use his APD and drop the trip then cover it wit a PB day to net the cash.

New hires hitting the line.

You sure get a lot out of a simple statement on how long a contract will take.
That statement was based on the fact that management is not going to agree with what the majority of pilots will consider acceptable on a contract. There is going to be no offer of 12.8 percent upfront. They might offer 2 or 3. It will take 3 years past the amendable date to get into the heart of mediation.

I think Sailing is just looking at the tea leaves and issuing a personal prediction. Right now I see little incentive for the big D to be in a hurry to sign a new contract, for the first time in many years I see a mostly pro us ( DALPA) bargaining position.
I'm a little tired of this casting of dispersion when someone posts something that you don't agree with. Why don't you instead post coherent rebuttals instead of the usual anti ALPA drivel ?
As to your pay rate comparisons: My pay rate in 2004 and my pay rate now are basically the same thanks to all the lemmings that allowed me to move to the top of the food chain. My W2 for this past year was 30% higher than my 2004 W2. There is more to a contract then pay rates and I know that there is a huge difference between me and the bottom of the food chain. The good thing is we each have an equal vote.

No worries whatsoever. By never releasing the survey results, the MEC will decide in its sole discretion what the majority opinion of the pilot group is. Just like last time.

That's correct...because the MEC won't even ask for it. Just like last time.

Because that's what the MEC will hail as an epic victory.

I guess that will depend on whether Sleepy Ed feels that 3/3/3/3 is just too generous.

Carl

You shouldn't use big words in sentences when you don't know what they mean finis. Look up "dispersion" versus "aspersions" when you're ready to stop posting drivel. ;)

Carl

Carl, are these predications like your statements a few years ago that Delta management was liquidating the airline?

I'm just making it home off a trip, so I apologize for the brief response. It's really just a question -- I guess for anyone.

How are American's pay rates going to be calculated in the future?

Somewhere I thought I saw where Americans pay rates will somehow be tied to the average of us and United and maybe someone else (SWA?). Is that true?