I got hammered by using vacation and bidding reserve. Ended up with high 80's line. PD'd 2 days to make schedule better. Each PD was worth more than 6 hours. I thought they were worth less than 4. Whoops.

Quick Question. I couldn’t find an answer in the PWA or the Scheduling Guide.

I was On Long Term Disability until February last year.
Then I was NQAT until September.

I’ll probably catch grief for asking this but do you “not” earn vacation during NQAT? (I know, NQAT was a huge vacation)

it looks like I just earned two weeks of vacation last year instead of 4.

I know, boo-hoo, but I had plans for 22-23 vacation.

Thanks,
Humboldt

Welcome back. Been a while for me, but my recollection is that you don't earn vacation while out on disability. I can't imagine why NQAT would have any issue--your back on full status

welcome back!

i was NQAT for 9 months of 2021, and I still got my normal 2 weeks of vacation to bid.

I wonder if it’s actually the LTD that doesn’t accrue vacation.

Somewhat related question from a Delta applicant, can you not just drop trips to have the days off you want if you don’t have the vacation? And then if you need the money pick up extra trips during another time?

you need adequate reserve coverage to drop, and right now most categories don’t have anywhere near the required number most days

Yes, if there is enough reserve coverage you can drop all trips if you want. The key is "enough reserve coverage". Somewhat hard on a narrow body these days, but with all the hiring, hopefully that will be get better.

You can also give your trips away to other pilots (that doesn't need enough reserve coverage) or use an "authorized personal drop (APD)" which you get one a year. You can use the APD to drop a trip, or up to I think 4 reserve days. Also, there is a way to move vacation from somewhere else in the coming year, to drop a trip in the present month. It pays like vacation (which isn't a lot, 3:30-3:45 per vacations day vs 5:15 or so for a day of flying).

Picking up flying is usually easy. Dropping trips is allowed as long as there is adequate reserve coverage. If there is not you can still put the trip into open time for other pilots to pick up subject to FAR’s and the contract. You can also post the trip on the pilot swap board where pilots can take the trip subject only to FAR’s. Once a year you get a authorized personal leave drop where reserve coverage need only be 25% of required. You also can split off a vacation day to drop a trip twice a year subject to the same 25% of coverage rules so in effect you have 3 priority drops a year.
The second option is to swap the trips. Swaps can be done via the company scheduling system (DBMS) where the swap if the dropped trip is above adequate coverage is approved subject to FAR’s. If the trip is below Adequate coverage it will still be approved as long as the trip you are swapping for has the same or worse coverage.
Picking up trips generally falls into two categories. You can pick up at straight rates (white slip) subject to FAR’s and contractual limits. You can also put in a request (greenslip) to pick up at double pay subject only to FAR’s. How the company assigns trips is governed in section 23 of the contract via a assignment ladder. It’s long and complex but the short cliff note version is the company covers unassigned trips with legal reserves, white slips and then green slips.
There are other graduate level methods to force trip drops such as white slipping a trip in the current month forcing a FAR drop in the following month. Swapping trips in one month for another month ect.. You need a guru and the Scheduling reference handbook to understand it all.

7.B.1. Exception. After a medical leave you do not start accruing vacation until all training is complete, including OE.

You actually don’t accrue vacation until you are OE complete. So if you go to a fleet with an OE backlog, it will hurt even more.

I think the logic is, we have been paying you full pay to sit at home, so why give you more laid time off…