Nightflyer

If you check "yes" for reserve line conversion, do they have to honor the days off from your original reserve line?

Or, can they give you any trip and any day they want, like a regular VTO line?

I need some days off, I can't hold a line, and I am trying to figure out the best way to guarantee those days off.

Thanks in advance.

Jumbo Pilot

If you volunteer for conversion... you have the option to protect certain days off that you had on your R-line.

So if you are awarded an R-Line with the days off that you need.. it's really a no lose situation.

Good luck!

VSTOLG4

The new CBA doesn't cover conversion lines because they go away in-phase.

The 2011 CBA says this: If a pilot submits a line construction worksheet that identifies certain days off to be protected, his reserve line shall not be voluntarily converted unless those days off are protected.

Many people confuse this with keeping the same days off from your reserve line. This isn't true. The days off they have to honor will be days off listed on your conversion request worksheet. The limiting factor is min days off protected in the CBA.

The big gotcha is that voluntary conversions get processed in seniority order after the VTO awards are processed. If there are 10 VTO and you are the most senior pilot getting voluntarily converted then you essentially have VTO #11. Where you can get hammered still is if your days off requested don't work for the scheduler's needs then you will be skipped and then from the bottom up they will start involuntary conversions. If they make it back to you again then they do not have to honor your days off because you are now "involuntarily" converted. I know this from recent experience.

Of course all of this may be magically waived by the company and you'll have to spend months and months grieving it...good luck.

Adlerdriver

If you put the same days off you had on your reserve line in your conversion request then don't they have to honor them?

Why is the limiting factor CBA min days off? Since all reserve lines are already built with min days off, how is that limiting in a conversion scenario?

VSTOLG4

Yes, if you put the same days off. But you can put completely different days off than your awarded RSV line...the conversion sheet is the trump card, not the awarded line days off.

You're correct. I was just stating that if for example you asked for 17 days off then the schedule builder only has to honor the CBA requirement of 13 for a 4 week. You may get the 17 if they can give you BLG but most likely not. I received 14 days in a row on a recent conversion.