Short on credit, need trip
 

Since May came out, I'm pretty light on credit (50ish hours) due to MLOA. I do have an 11 day block of non MLOA time at the beginning of May with no trips, so, in order to get back to a normal paycheck I suppose I'm going to have to pick up a trip. Having never done this, I think these are my options, you let me know what works best. Keep in mind I'm junior junior junior in my base so green slips aren't likely to trickle down to me. Anyhow;

1-Pick up trip via WS in base
2-Pick up trick via WS out of base (I realize this would only happen the day before, I think at 0800?)
3-Green slip (I know theres w/conflict and w/out conflict, I don't think this would matter since I'm off?)
4-Pick up reserve days

I'm told the best picking for open time is around the 20th. Is it best if I just list all the trips I want in preference order and then they are awarded in seniority order, is that correct? So I assume if there are real good trips that go into open time, I probably won't get them. Or, is it first come first serve?

Thanks!

It's usually advantageous no to pre-post MLOA if possible. The big reason is that if your orders are canceled or changed, you're completely hosed.

It gives you far more control of your schedule and your bid.

What category and base? Next time you might also consider waiting until the bids close to put in mil leave. You can then bid a full schedule. Take a look at the daily trip coverage in your category to give you a idea of what is available. If you see GS2's then you can hold greenslips.
A lineholder can't pic up reserve days.

don't pre-post mil leave chief. You're giving up the leverage. I'm just a supervisor of TRs, not an airline guy yet, and even I know that (by function of having to get smart on airline bidding in order to max flex my guys' mil schedule).

Because I have the pleasure of visiting the chief pilot every 100 hours for the next 8-12 months, I'm just trying to do everything the right way. Unless I was mislead on my first CP meeting, I have to put in for known mil leave before the bid closes. Honestly, I'm not going to play any games until my probationary period complete. It's not worth it to me. So I put in drill weekends and bi-annual sim days in advance if I know them and the occasions aftp I'll be doing.

Anyhow, May's schedule was a good lesson from HKU for the future, non probie, me.

In the meantime, I need to pickup a trip. Back to my original question, it sounds like just picking up an open trip in advance is my best bet. Is it true that the 20th is the best picking for open time?

If I just put in for a green slip I run the risk of not getting a trip/credit where as white slipping an open trip can guarantee I get those credit hours.

White slipping won't happen until the 20th. Greenslips almost never go out more than a day out. Your options are wait until the 20th and whiteslip or pick up trips off swap board. Those go through immediately.

Make sure you check out the swap board as well. Many trips are usually available for pick-up (no swap required).

Go to the swap board and you can pick up now. Wait till the 20th and see what develops. It's really so category specific it's hard to give specific advice.

Lastly, contact your mentor, they should be able to help you with your options and you are correct, on probation especially, I'd pre post KNOWN MLOA commitments as that is what is in the FOM.

The first PCS run in which the May open time will become available for pickup will be on 20 April so, yes put in white slips in priority order for the trips you desire. After the 20th, there will be a new group of open time trips once swaps and white slips are processed. Those trips get processed daily after the 20th, so keep an eye on the open time after the 20th if you don't get anything from the 20 April PCS and submit for any new trips that may pop up meeting your needs. Your white slip(s) will be processed in seniority order with any others who may have submitted white slips for the same trips.

As far as green slips, those would not be processed until the day prior to the trip requested. And I don't think you'd have enough May credit with your Mil leave to actually trigger the extra pay for the GS anyway (I could be wrong on that).

You're absolutely correct in following your CP's directive regarding pre-bidding Mil leave. You don't want to draw attention to yourself in that regard prior to the end of probation.

Back to your original question. It is a no-brainer - WS in base. You can put in for a GS, but even if you get a GS it will only pay as a GS if you can reach the GS trigger.

Remember you can apply up to 5 hours of bank withdrawal toward hitting the GS trigger. So for example if the GS trigger is 75 hours you can withdraw 5 hours from your bank (even if it results in a negative bank) and apply that to the trigger, so in this case you must get to 70 hours before GS pay kicks in.

I find myself in this exact situation about 3 months out of the year due to MIL and other obligations. Since I am senior in category I will sometimes put in for a GS even if I am well below the trigger knowing that I can almost always WS to within 5 of the GS trigger.

Being junior I would recommend to try to get a WS as early in the month as possible. Not only will this allow you to prioritize your trips, possibly even put in some blind requests for certain dates, and line up a sure WS on the 20th of April, but being junior you will a much better chance of getting a GS later in the month.

Finally depending on the monthly timing of your GS be ready for some knuckleheads to give you grief for putting in a WS requests if GS's are flying out the door - some guys fail to realize that not every DAL Pilot lives to work - some of us work to live, and we don't fly 80+ hours every month and sometimes for whatever reason we are below the GS trigger.

Good Luck - Scoop

Thanks a ton for the help guys! It's starting to make sense. As for the borrowing hours for GS stuff, I don't get that. Is there a place I can go read up on that? My GS seem pretty simple "call me between these dates but don't wake me up at 1am". I'm a commuter so the likelihood of being able to GS is probably slim to none anyhow. I'm expecting some flack for picking up a WS, and I get it. But like I said, I'm in a crash course at HKU right now learning the hard way. This was the first big lesson for me.

Thanks again!

Do what you need to do and don't worry about anyone else. You're not going to get any flack except on APC. It's your right within the contract to WS so use it.

You can borrow against your bank to increase your credit to hit the greenslip trigger. Go to iCrew > Pay/Hours > Time Card to see your greenslip trigger and how close you are. You can also add your bank time under the same Pay/Hours menu. Hope this helps. "Full Service Bank" is explained under the PWA Section 12 O.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2nr20eb.png

Or you can just pick up trips via either the swap board, WS or GS.

Think you can only take 5 hours from the bank to apply to GS trigger.

If you don't need the $, don't burn yourself out commuting to fly extra hours especially on probation wages...plenty of time for that after your rate goes up.


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Does this mean you have to be at a certain credit level in order to be awarded GS, or does this mean you need a certain credit level in order to reap the full benefits of a GS?

The latter. You'll get a GS no matter how much credit you have for the month, but it will be single-pay, no credit until you get over the threshold. You can get over the threshold by taking out of your bank or white slipping.


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Thanks again! Last question, can I pick up trips from the swap board out of base? I'm a commuter, so it is really the same to me either way if I pickup in base or out of base.

Thanks again folks!

Especially on the 88, tons of 1,2,3,4,and 5 day trips up for grabs!

In base only though..........

The swap board is only available in base.

You can search the swap board for specific trips by length, pickup only or swap only.

All new hires need to use it daily!!

Lots of senior trips for free!!!!

If there is an open trip on May 30th that takes you into the next bid period (June 3), how does that affect my credit in May, June and my schedule in June?

Thanks for taking all the questions, obviously, I'm totally new to this and the Captains I've been flying with have no clue about all of this.

Is it also only for line holders?

yes................

I would not be concerned with green slips until you get your credit up to at least 70 hours. You should focus on WS in base and the swapboard.

June bid period begins on 02 Jun, so your pay in May will be increased by the daily pay/credit of the trip on 30 May - 01 Jun. Your pay on 03 Jun will be the pay/credit of 02-03 Jun, plus any trip credit. Since June schedules don't open for bid until 04 May, you will start with that credit when you bid your June schedule.

A few important details: 1) Transition trips that go from one bid period to the next can and often do change. Up to one day can be added to their length. And only the pay in the first bid period is guaranteed should the trip be reduced(Which is not a problem, since any change to your transition trip will be posted on the 4th). 2) If you white slip a transition trip after next months schedules are out, any trip in the following month on your schedule which conflicts with your white slip will be dropped without pay.

Omar

I believe the one day max was in the rejected TA. I don't think there is a maximum under the current contract. They can add a week if they want to however in practice it's almost never more then a day.

Apologies for not taking the time to read the replies - in a hurry.

Just a quick heads up that #1 on the list is a p/u from the iCrew Pilot swap board, hands down. Check it many times a day once bids are posted (not even in DBMS - contact pilot directly to place dibs if not posted in DBMS yet). Plenty of guys put trips there the moment the see their sked, some dumping an entire line. We have over a page of p/u (no swap) on the SEA 7ER/B right now. Sure, most of its lame, but you score a good one once in a while. Either way, you've got at least 5:15 per day to your hearts content. No B.S. ALV +15 limit, just FARs (buffered I believe). The Swap Board is your go-to place for a fast resolution to a low time line or general credit enhancement. You can be "done deal" before PCS even thinks about starting. Once PCS rolls, the Swap Board pickups will evaporate.

PWA 23.A. 1.d note: An asterisk rotation may not be changed such that it is scheduled to release more than one day after its originally scheduled release.

Omar

What about DTW makes the P/U and Swap board so scarce compared to other bases?

Last little caveat is that any credit associated with the trip that is not actual block time goes on the last day of the trip, so if a trip was a three day with a 30 hr layover on day one/two and back on three, and it straddled a new bid period, you'd only credit what you flew on day one and all the credit for the trip would go into the next bid/pay period.