If I have vacation in Nov and want to maximize pay, and possibly pick up OT during my vacation, what's the best way to bid?

High time min days off, or low time max days off so I can swap and trade to have 2 weeks off in the middle and pick up loads of OT?

Also, is there a strategy I should look for around my vacation dates? Ie, have my time off coincide with days of already, or try to.get the most "flying" during my scheduled time off.

Also, what's the best option in to select while biding, slide or the other?

Open to ideas

 

what ever you do DON'T select any option during the bid process. wait until your get your line then you have 24 hours to send an email to swaps and drops telling them what you want to do.

To max your time off bid lines that touch both sides of your vacation (first trip ends on Saturday and last trip starts on friday) that way you can DTS (drop) those 2 trips plus what ever falls inside your vacation block. now you have about 14 plus days off.

you will NOT get paid for the flying you dropped out side your vacation block, but you can request that you get paid for it our of your sick bank. That way you still get your line guarantee, and now have those days free to now pick up OT at 150%.

hope this helps.

 

This does not get talked about enough.
Take advantage of it.

 

So, why not pick a line that gives falls in the middle of your vacation, but still gives you 10-14 days off. That way you don't use your vacation.

 

You can do that if you want, but the guy above undersold the benefit of DTS. My last block was the worst DTS I've done in just under six years and still had 17 days off. Usually I can get 20/21 days off with DTS. You'd be hard pressed to find a line that you don't DTS only covers your vacation and gets more than 10 days off.

I personally care more about max time off during vacation so I always DTS. But for guys that don't care about days off and more about maximizing pay, I'd recommend (never tried this because it's not my thing) to still DTS, drop everything that you're only being paid 100% for and just pick up whole trips at 150% pay. Remember the hierarchy of picking up OT, in base full trips trumps inbase partial trips. So you can be junior as crap and still get awarded the OT over the senior guys trying to cherry pick turns off the front and back end if you pick up the whole trip and getting paid 150% for working the same days, sign me up

 

I’m not sure you understand how VC blocks work when line bidding. You always burn the VC days either way, it’s how you maximize you days off using DTS is what counts.

 

That's what I'm trying to understand... hence the post

 

The best way to maximize VC as someone else previously posted is to have your VC conflict the last day of trip at the start of VC, and the first day of a trip on your last day of VC.

They will pay you for the portion dropped that overlaps with with your VC days, but not the remainder that is dropped (if you select yes for DTS) for DTS.

You can then use your sick bank to cover the non paid hours dropped for DTS. You can then also pick up OT on top of your VC and DTS days If you wish with OT rates paid for hours flown on top of VC pay and DTS/Sick Bank hours used

 

So if I get awarded a line like that, do I just elect DTS when bidding or have to do something more(email swaps and drops)?

 

Yes you can elect while bidding under the options section. Select the number for VAC drop or whatever it is and then it should change to ‘Y’ in the top of the screen.

As someone else mentioned you can wait to see what line you are awarded and email swaps and drops within 24Hrs and tell them you want DTS. I’ve personally not done it this way before.

As for using sick pay to cover DTS, you simply email your pay comp auditor and tell them you want to do that.