That's pretty funny, but the 0 TPIC is what gets you? Plenty of people getting on everywhere without it.

 

Nice work! Unfortunately, no. Once you've filled the current month with PB days, they have to go in the bank for future use. They essentially hold the weight of an APD, so they are processed first on the PCS runs. Great to have saved up when the holidays arrive.

 

I really thought this was one area where the defunt TA vastly underwhelmed expectations.

It would seem that increasing vacation pay (and training day pay) would be no brainers for the negotiators as it is a way to add value without the shock and awe of straight up pay rates, and it effects all seniority levels.

 

It was valueless. There was no vacation bank in those days. That came later. You got paid the value of any trips that touched your primary or secondary vacation week. All other vacation weeks touching trips were dropped however you were only paid for time within the actual vacation footprint. As a example if you touched a 4 day trip with the last day of your tertiary vacation by one day you got the value of that one day only. You then had to scramble to pick up time for a full month. If any week touched nothing you got nothing.
In actual practice as a junior guy I could usually get a 3 day trip inside of vacation so I would get somewhere between 15 and 18 hours pay. You could also bid reserve instead. If you could place the vacation exactly between blocks of off days you would get seven additional days off for the month. If however you ended up with 4 off days inside the vacation you only got 3 additional days off. Pay was the reserve guarantee regardless.
As a senior guy I could usually touch two 3 day trips with my primary and secondary week and get 30 to 36 hours pay for those weeks. We did not normally have 4 day trips in my category

 

Thanks, but no skill on my part other than being available. In fact it's more in spite of myself, I didn't do a smart bid for trying to RT thus my attempt to clean up my bidding mess after the fact.

PB days are a double edged sword. Awesome having the chance to RT and get PB days, but if the category is short enough to RT and earn PB days, it's probably too short to get to use them . The plus side is I should carry a metric poop tonne of PB days over with me when I transition to the ER. Figure I can earn them on the cheap as a year 2 717 FO and then cash them in on the ER as a year 3 FO for a 33% return on my investment . cha-ching!

 

IIRC, there was also a sell back provision that the pilots in their highest 2 years compensation wise used to increase their FAE. That did assign a value to the vacation weeks, but I don't recall what it was. Also, with move ups-partial and full month, you could often modify your schedule to maximize vacation. I don't remember why, but training months always paid out big. Pay-no credit I guess.

 

I disagree that they hold the weight of an APD.

If the coverage is 'black' and not 'blue' then PB days are not even usable that month.

For several months now, PB days are not usable on the 717. Sure, great to have for later in the year if the reserve coverage catches up, but definitely not the power of an APD for dropping something that sits on important days that someone wants off.

 

Another smart thing to do is load up your bank on FO pay and then take it back at captain pay.

 

Orange Lightsaber. That is all...

 

Harwood's reaction was quite amusing on the MEC Comm page. What a sore loser.