2GoodEngines

Could anyone share some insight on how the line improvement window works? I understand it happens after the initial bid is awarded, but I'm not clear on what is being "traded". Does the company intentionally hold trips out of the initial bid and put them in "open time" so that people have something to trade with during that LIW, or is it something else entirely. And are these trades happening in "real time", with people adding and dropping constantly while the window is open (meaning the pool of available trips to trade is constantly changing)? I've seen posts where people say "I was awarded a line with 12 days off and 95 hours, but during ILW I traded to 19 days off and 65 hours" (or something along those lines). Is it fairly easy to get more days off during the ILW, even if your junior? I know you may lose hours, but I'm more concerned with getting a better schedule (more days off, more commutable, etc.). I know it's probably too complex to spell out completely on a message board, but some general insight into how it works at XJT (and how well it works) would be a good start. Thanks in advance for any input!

lalique78

It’s fairly easy to get more days off. As soon as you get hard line. You will be able to use ILIW and get 17-19 days off even if you most junior lineholder.
There are couple of rules:
1. Company will set reserve coverage for following months from 4 to 0, max 0 days are 8 per month, that means if your trip touch 0 day, you can’t trade that trip for other trips from different days unless someone pick up from that day and day become more then 0. (Clear as mud)
2. You can’t reduce your credit time below 60h
3. You have to be at the any device with internet at the time when window opens, because most trades makes in first 3-5 mins, after that most days will be at 0 coverage.

2GoodEngines

Thanks for the info! Yeah I think I understand what your saying on #1. So tell me if this sounds right - the company puts ALL of their trips for the month in the initial bid of hard lines (meaning no open time exists at that point), then when the ILIW opens, it’s mayhem for the first few minutes because basically all that’s happening is people are dropping trips into open time, up until the point that all days are at zero coverage (or close to). Then after the initial mayhem, there’s the opportunity to maybe swap trips one for one that are in open time (like if you have a 4 day starting on 2/5 and there’s a 4 day trip in open time starting on 2/5 that you like better, you could swap that, but that’s really all you can do at that point, correct? Are you able to further refine things in the secondary window? Thanks for the info!

lalique78

You almost right.
First union build lines. Line holders pick up those in seniority order. When biding is close you can see trips in open time. Also you can see reserve coverage and you can start thinking about your strategy for ILIW. When ILIW opens you can trade/swap from open time with limits (can’t go below 60h credit and 0 coverage). Basically I know what I want to do day before ILIW opens.
For example I have the line of 90h and 12 days off consist from 4 trips (17 25 25 23) and I want to more days off, day before ILIW I see trip 1 and 4 have coverage and trip 2 and 3 touch 0 days. And I see the 2days trip in open time of 10h. When ILIW opens I’ll trade trips 1 and 4 for 2days trip and I have now 6 more days off. It could be a lot more combinations.

2GoodEngines

Got it! That all makes sense. Thanks again for the info!

Southern Fried

1. Company gets flying from UA. Company and Alpa generate line solutions, one solution gets selected.
2. Lines are published for each base. Bidding opens. If you are senior enough to hold a line, you put in a bid for a line in your order of preference, then you are awarded a line based on your seniority after the bidding closes.
3. The ILIW then opens for you to improve your line a few days later. All but 8 days are set at +4 for coverage. Those are days you can drop flying off of your line down to 60 credit hours if you desire. First come, first served. Be quick at the opening of the ILIW.
During the ILIW, trading occurs as well as drops from individual lines. There is no set order to what transpires after the window opens. I have traded my entire month of flying (and dropped a pairing or two) at the initial opening more than once and been successful. Usually I end up with more days off, more credit hours, and different days off.
Make sure you are off duty on the day the ILIW opens if you need to improve your line for the next month...

2GoodEngines

Y’all have given me a great picture. You mentioned something that I was thinking was probably true - you need to be off duty at the open of ILIW for sure, and should try to get that during the ILIW for the next period. So just to confirm, the company DOES leave some open time available after the initial bid to facilitate swapping during the ILIW, correct? Otherwise I would think the only thing you could do right at the window opening would be to drop trips, then wait for others to do the same, then start picking trips back up if you desire. Am I understanding that right?

predhead

The company does leave open time available for swap/pickup in ILIW. The important thing about the ILIW that I dont think anyone already said, is you can't really "drop" trips as in personal drop. Everything has to be facilitated through a trade. So when they say "drop a 4-day", what they are really doing is trading 2 4-day trips from their current schedule for 1 4-day trip from open time. This trade will net you an extra 4 days off.

Southern Fried

Every month, trips that touch a vacation week of an awarded line holder get dropped into open time before the ILIW. Those trips from those other line holders who have vacation that month are then available to trade with during the ILIW. It is one of the features of our contract that is prized by the line holders. The amount of open time at the opening of the ILIW depends on how big the base is. Houston has many more trips in open time at the ILIW to choose from compared to Cleveland for example.
The number of trips in open time is greatest at the opening of the ILIW. After the ILIW closes 24 hours later, crew planning begins creating lines for the secondary bid that the relief line holders will get. After the secondary bid, there usually isn't much left in open time for the rest of the month.

2GoodEngines

Gotcha, makes sense. And I can see how that feature is huge. That’s the kind of “small” (read: huge) detail that differentiates QOL between carriers, but is not easy to discern from the general comments on these threads. Really appreciate the insight. Very helpful in the decision process right now. Cheers!