Lca trip buyout
 

Been too busy at home, but i will have a trip flying with a lca. If i do get buyout, what is my obligation? Is the lca gonna release me or do i have to ask CS for it?

Thanks..

Crew Scheduling will call you the night before to release you from the trip or change your report obligations, most often times around 7:00p (ATL) time. There will be a note on the rotation stating whether it's intended for instructional flying. (i.e. 100% of the trip isn't always "bought" for training.)

CS will normally release you after 7 the night before. If it's a augmented rotation however one of your fellow copilots who is senior to you may swap for it at the last minute leaving you to fly the trip.

Thanks guys. Is there a usual time frame when the LOE planner buys future trips off?

Be glad that you get to enjoy the LCA trip taken off your line. The Moakies wanted to give that away, and many other concessions, for a meager raise.

While the company drags its heels thinking we are hurting and need a raise, we continue to enjoy many things the Moakies wanted to give away. LCA trips, better scope, better sick leave, etc.

From my experience, there's a note associated with the trip by the first week of the bid month. YMMV

What you can do is keep checking on your trip, in iCrew, under "Pilot Names". It will list the A and B pilot's names, and if the LCA is going to be doing an IOE, it will have a note added, saying words to the effect: Capt. Joe Blow is giving IOE to XXX.

This scheduling of IOE usually happens near the beginning of the month, but it can be modified (added or deleted) last minute, if the LCA swaps the trip or the student's schedule changes. So if you are looking weeks in advance, it's really a coin toss. Nothing is set in stone until inside of 24 hours prior to sign in, and even then, it could change if either the LCA or student sick out.

Thanks. My trip is on the 2nd, but i will keep an eye out:)

And don't forget the ever present danger of augmented trip "chess", where the junior guy gets a secret phone call from someone senior to YOU, and trades the trip away so the now senior guy gets to stay home and the previous jr. guy gets a sweet Europe trip!

I've heard that has occurred and been dealt with at the chief pilot level. Usually the senior-to-both-original-guys pilot making those last-minute calls are well-known weasels (I can think of at least one myself), and often the once-senior-and-now-junior guy will just call in sick...right before the anticipated call from crew scheduling to release the senior guy.

Let's face it, sometimes we are our own worst enemy, and some guys just deserve a blanket party.