Qualified trip is someone that is assigned the trip but they are trying to drop it.

Qualified Personal Drop (QPD) -- A QPD is a denied APD or PD rotation that is placed into the open time pot with a “Q” designator for another pilot to pick up via a white slip or swap with the pot. The rotation remains on the original pilot’s schedule until it is picked up by another pilot. If it has not been picked up 48 hours prior to report, it is removed from the pot and the original pilot remains responsible for flying the trip.

A denied APD or PD request that involves a single rotation will become a QPD. If your APD or PD request preference involves more than one rotation within a single priority, then that request will not become a QPD. If you submit multiple APD/PD priorities each with a single rotation and none of the priorities can be awarded, then all of the rotations become QPDs.

Remember- If a QPD trip has not been picked up 48 hours from report, it will be removed from the open time and the original pilot will be responsible for flying the rotation.

I'd not be surprised to see $100 by 4pm and a close in the high 90s. If $4 was the breaking point in a roaring economy in 2006-2007 and slowing in 2008 then my bet $3.50 is the breaking point tbis time. I doubt you'll see $3.50+ before supply far exceeds demand and price falls. If Saudi collapses or Egypt gets worse and sabatoge becomes the norm then hello $5. Thank goodness for the drilling moritorium and anwar activist.

Did I say 4pm, I meant 1pm.

I think you guys are missing the point. It's not how many times you use the policy it's how many times you use it with a bad excuse. Have two good flights that fill up because of an early morning cancellation, you're ok. Try to get two oversold flights the day before Thanksgiving, not so much. Prudent planning means use common sense, that's all.

Thank You !!!!

no kidding... energy independence? more like no new energy...

Another question if I may. It's not because I am too lazy to look up the answers. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the contract but it's kind of fuzzy when you are new and I want to make sure I don't screw up. I start reserve on Friday and am coming off a few days off. It says I have to check DBMS or VRU no later than 0200 on my 1st day of reserve when coming off of days off. Does this mean I have to stay up until midnight in order to check DBMS/VRU? I assume icrew is the same as DMBS/VRU? Sorry guys, I"m trying to figure this out on my own but I'm kind of confused on what I need to do on my 1st reserve day. Thanks to whoever chimes in with answer :)

No, you do not have to stay up. What most people do is check their schedule after 3PM, since that is the deadline that CS has to post any trip or SC that signs in before noon on your first day on reserve. Now, they can wait until midnight and post a trip that signs in at 12:01 PM but that is rare. And yes, iCrew is just the GUI interface for DBMS.

To expand on what Uncle Sam wrote.

The 2 a.m. thing is basically the deadline for you to acknowledge an assignment they may have given you. If you haven't by that time and depending on why you're supposed to report, they'll start calling you.

The 3 p.m. (base time) deadline is the cutoff where scheduling can put something on your schedule for the next day that can report as early as 5 or 6 a.m. (can't remember which).

If you have nothing on your schedule after 3 p.m. on your last X day, you just begin long call at midnight, which means you're on a 12-hour leash so the earliest trip they can give you is one with a report of 12:01 p.m. However, there are a few exceptions:

1. They only need to give 10 hours notice for short call, so after 3 p.m., they could assign you a 10 a.m. short call.

2. If you lower your RAW score, you're actually submitting a yellow slip, although it doesn't specifically or clearly say that. This, in effect, voids the 3 p.m. cutoff. So, scheduling could assign you a trip at 5:55 p.m. on you last X day that signs in at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and you'd be responsible for that. If you hadn't lowered your RAW score, then they couldn't have done that. If you're a commuter, this can obviously bite you.

A lot of new hires have gotten stung by that, including yours truly. Fortunately, the schedulers have been understanding with new guys because it is so confusing and in my case (and others) gave me a pass. But just be aware that lowering your RAW score does much more than that. It puts you in a different set of rules with which they can assign you.

Having come from another airline, I have found the schedulers here to be very accommodating and understanding - within reason, of course. Unless they're swamped, they have been more than willing to spend time answering a lot of these questions. Don't be afraid to call them and ask, especially if you're new.

This policy seems to be making commuters happy, and I'm not a commuter, so in a sense I don't really care... but you're describing the way the policy should be enforced, not the way it is described in JG's memo. The way I recall, it must be used "rarely", and rarely is defined as "a few times during a career". This is different from the notion of "a pattern of abuse" standard defined in the contract.

I do agree with you that the standard used will probably be what you described, but I think it's not a great move to have a better policy with added (and more restrictive) conditions that contradict the contract. I would think failing to correct this sets a precedent.

I guess this is a question of whether you're happy simply to read the policy, or whether you think the preamble has a bearing on potential abuses in the future.