Someone please explain the whole, "Number of pilots senior to you with AE bids for ..."

I know the platform is fairly useless (I'm around 10,000 and only 370 guys senior to me have 777A bids in :rolleyes:) Does it ignore qualifications (such as percentage restrictions?)

So far this year I have accumulated 22 payback days in the bank and used 13. Except for one month (April), I have never worked more than 15 days in a month. I have vacation the next two months and am planning on flying one 4 day trip a month and getting paid for the full month. This being said, all my kids are out of the house so I might fly 2 trips a month. They will all be home on Thanksgiving and Christmas and so will I.

My point is, greenslips can actually allow you to spend more time with your family if you are just a little bit flexible. Fly a greenslip this month and drop a trip next month...

Denny

You are correct, the platform is pretty useless for the exact reason/s you mention. But the total number is probably correct. In fact, I think that's the only thing it's good for.

I couldn't hold it now but do not even want to put a bid in because I'm happy flying the A330 out of my home city and will not commute again unless I have to.

Denny

It does not ignore qualifications and will count one pilot more than once, if they have the same position listed more than once with different percentages.

Funny thing about greenslips, people always seem to be able to rationalize flying them. Oh little johnny doesn't really remember me not being there for his birthday, Christmas and football games or it doesn't really hurt the furloughees. If you want to fly them then fly them, I would rather have a straight wage that didn't make you feel like you had to fly them.

My kids are all adults now. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the little things that they remember (some good, some not so good). Often they are things that I don't even remember because they seemed so inconsequential at the time, but they made a big impact on the kids. Be there as much as you can, but find a balance or you'll end up working your nuts off when they are in college. Don't ask me how I know.

Exactly. Time off with family is great and necessary. But if you are able to change plans with your schedule, you can often leverage a plan cancellation into siginificantly more time with family only a short time later.

There is nothing wrong or parentally irresponsibile with occasionally bagging plans at the last minute if it results in something positive down the road such as more time off with family with more money to do things. Pretty much all hard working people have to do this a lot more than we are even in the position to choose to do it. Couple that with showing them a strong work ethic first hand and sometimes its worth missing certain ritualistic calendar days. We have somehow slid into an institutionalized work ethic that is pathetic and full of entitlements and sloth. Case in point the legions that pay 6 figures for a free readling list of personally interesting material and then riot/occupy in the streets for high paying jobs they never earned. Some of the best holidays I've ever had have been "off schedule" improvs. Family time is family time, any day of the calendar.

You don't have to have grown up poor working hard jobs for low pay to get it, although it does help put things in perspective. A 4 day green slip can help someone drop 8 days later with no loss in pay. Its all how you manage it. Or missing a "quickie vacation" for a motherload 12 day can put in a pool, finish a basement or finance an awesome longer vacation later, pay for a year of college, buy a nice new car or pay for 2 months off by trip dropping later. I don't do many 5 day quickie vacations that are worth more than that. Its all in the balance of course.

Great post. I will now be dressing up as Mr. Monopoly this Halloween in your honor, unless I get called for a GS.

Nevermind. Don't want to be banned.

It was a great post though.

Great slips are like abortions. If you feel they're immoral, don't have one. And they shouldn't be part if Plan A. EOM.