thanks for the info! that FOS codes doc is helpful.

So what is the difference between "FLY" and when a reserve pilots flies and has a sequence number added on their schedule?


I didn't know that proffers for airport standby and rap's didn't have to be awarded in seniority order? I thought pretty much everything was seniority based (assuming that what you are bidding/proffering for is available).

The sequence number will show up on the first and last day on the N6D. The days in between will show FLY.

thanks for the info!


how is CS working consolidation time for new guys? are they pretty much waiting until the last few weeks to cram it all in if guys aren't getting called on reserve, or will they throw flights in here and there out of seniority order in order to get consolidation time?

Basically, is there any reliable (or semi-reliable) way to predict consolidation time?

Of the 4 months I was on reserve, I was given a RAP or standby assignment out of seniority order at least once in each of those months (perhaps more than that but those are the times I noticed). I think there is supposed to be some operational necessity (like it makes no sense to give you RAP3 on your last day would be an obvious one but there's other scenarios less obvious). The first time, I could not even understand the reason so I called to complain to no avail. The third time, they gave me a Standby 1 when I proffered for RAP2 and the junior guy that got RAP2 had the same schedule as me. The second and forth time, I could guess an operational necessity by looking at the reserve list.

yeah i knew that sometimes what you proffered for might not be available to you in seniority order due to things like rest (guys junior to you get what you proffered for instead of you because they don't have enough rest to do anything else.)

But i did think that barring things like that (operational necessity) that it would(should) be awarded in seniority order, and that if a mistake was made you could call CS and have it straightened out.

That's why I qualified it with "in my experience." I'm very junior in a status with very little movement and in my nearly year stint on rsv I have had very few issues with rap/stby and only not been able to proffer out of preassigned rap 1 once. IT hasn't been perfect, but it also hasn't been the god awful nightmare I was afraid it would be. YMMV.

The one time I tried to call and straighten it out, they wouldn't change it.

Yeah, I've never had an issue proffering out of the default rap 1 when I wanted to.

You are supposed to notify scheduling when you are 30 days from the deadline. They will give you trips coded as low time.

Proffering out of RAP 1 is all about how many people are on RAP1 and how senior you are.

Putting those two sentences together seems to refer to two different cases as though they are one.

The time I called to try and argue my case, I proffered for RAP 1 because it was my last day and I was doing a two leg commute then. Someone junior to me got RAP 1 and I got RAP 2. So not really the same scenario you're describing. The time that I didn't bother to call and argue my case was when I proffered for RAP 2 and they gave me Standby 1 and someone junior to me got RAP 2. In both cases, it appeared to me the other guy had the same schedule constraints as I did so I don't know why they did it. Just pointing out they don't always follow seniority for reserve assignments and it's not always clear why.

I never had a problem getting out of RAP 1 on the first day when I wanted to. When I was two let commuting, there was no way for me to confirm at 5 and not already be on my commute so I never bothered to try to proffer out of it... I was going to be there anyway. But once I was in DFW for the short one leg commute, I successfully proffered out of the RAP 1 on the first day every single time. Just pointing out that it's easy to get out of the default RAP 1. But I understand why long distance commuters hate it so much because you can't take the chance.