The folks I know who want to fly green slips do so to make a lot of money. You often hear "everyone would drop their whole schedule", but doing this a couple times without fruitful trips to boost income beyond the top of the LCW would end that quickly. There's only so much to drop, and to pick up. And if "everyone" can do it (with minimum reserves met), "everyone" is available to pick them up... so you wait in line for all those folks to get their 1st before you get your second.

My category rarely has anything desirable (if anything) in open time. Even if I couldn't drop my stuff, it sure would be nice to at least swap with the pot and at least improve my initial award.

I don't think behavior would change much in the end, but every time you flew premium (without the trigger), you'd know it was for 100% premium pay.

seems so counter-intuitive bass ackwards and yet here we are. I guess that's why I'm not 4th floor material

Paying tons of overtime for three months is way cheaper than paying the 200-400 extra pilots required to eliminate said overtime all year long.

Yeah, but SWA pilots can't drop trips into open time. The only way to get rid of a trip is trade it with someone else.

Also, their airline runs on people picking up open time. Reserves fly at or above guarantee regularly - they are more like unscheduled line holders than reserves. Also, regular pilots are rerouted often - it pays very well - but it seems to happen a lot from what I see from my friends.

Other contracts look nice when you cherry-pick parts, but each one has trade-offs that we don't see.

The tradeoff is swa reserves get 15 off and lineholders are 17 and more days off. Yeah you have to work more, and you get half the month or more off for your troubles, everyone. I get it delta guys like the schedules as is, but if its a vote, I'd take more work and more days off.

The other issue is that it's much harder to craft work rules and a contract that fits multiple fleets and missions (ie international and domestic) vs a company that flies one type and limited international (not even redeyes at this point).

I know. It just seems like there's a way I fly a little more and I get home more. I aint saying we carbon copy swa contract, but god almighty do we need MORE 26 hour overnights? Good God. Let's just get the ****ing work done and go home.

I bid for 24+... maybe I’m weird. Normally it’s a -grand,Ville,falls,boro.... but it’s different. See a city for a day, good workout, a local restaurant, great nights sleep... BUT, it’s normally a trip with a better credit:block ratio by a good bit. You can knock out the “administrative” to do list, without chores. Typically 1-2 a month with a 30+ at home for another trip. Makes the month pretty slick until the double DH RR. Sure, I’d love a min day, but everyone can bid on what they want. Ironically, my home base layovers tend to go senior to me for trips mid week, so it’s not just me who likes them where I live.

Leave your category and go to NY 320 or 737. I’m sure you’ll appreciate your 26hr layovers.

So yes, we need more 26-30hrs overnights. More productivity means more legs, longer duty periods, posible extensions, less time in the overnights.

24+ hr overnights = more commutable trips, fly 15-18hrs in 5 days and get payed 26. This summer, most of my rotations were equal on credit/block time. It sucks and I’m still burned from the summer flying. My monthly lines were 17 days off and the amount of reroute and shenanigans were over the line.

I think you should change the way you bid, leave those overnights to the people that really appreciate them.

LOL, will do. I'm talking to brick walls.