Originally Posted by Xdashdriver

The PBS software will not add flying to vacation days, but you will be able to during DOT like we can now.

Bear in mind if you attach 40 hours of credit to a week of vacation, it drops your total vacation credit down by 40 hours too so you won’t be able to do it for all your weeks.

Originally Posted by Aero1900

I don't believe that inv days will have any effect on credit. I think they just prevent PBS from giving you a trip that touches your 7 day vacation period.

However, our PBS language allows you to adjust the artificial vacation credit that in turn defines how much flying is placed on your schedule. I'll try to explain this to the best of my understanding:

On a vacation month under PBS, you will be able to select anywhere from 15 to 40 hours of what I'm calling "artificial vacation credit". The vacation week will always be worth 35 hours. That 35 pay credits is set in stone. The variable range from 15 to 40 dictates how much flying you want PBS to award you that month. Example: the target line build average is 75 for the example month. You select 15 hours for your vacation credit. The system will then try to award you 60hrs of credit hours to your month (outside of your vacation week obviously) this will then result in you flying 60 hrs and getting paid 95. (60+35)

On the other end of the spectrum, if you select 40, then the system will only award you 35 hours of flying for the month, giving you just 70hrs of pay credits but a lot of days off.

I hope that made sense. It's a process to tell PBS how much flying you want on your vacation month. I don't believe inv days have any credit associated with them

Originally Posted by monkeybrains

This is not correct. The value of a week is variable based on the pilot's preferences. The pilot will assign a value to their vacation of 15-40 hours. These will be pay credits (deducted from your bank) that count towards your monthly award, i.e. if the ALV is 80 and you assign a value of 15 hours for the week, you will be on the hook for at least 65 more hours (and you will receive 15 hours of pay credit for your week of vacation), if you assign 40 hours for the week, you will be on the hook for at least 40 more hours (and you will receive 40 hours of pay credit for your week of vacation). INV days can be taken paid or unpaid at the pilot's discretion. If they are taken paid, the pay credits will also count towards your monthly award. INV days can net you more pay during a week of vacation, but it will be at the expense of a future week (the value will be deducted from your bank). The real benefit is that it allows a junior pilot that doesnt have the seniority to stretch his vacation by a couple of days.

Originally Posted by Aero1900

Well I guess I was wrong and now I'm confused.

Why would you choose to adjust your vacation to a lower value?

Originally Posted by Aero1900

Well I guess I was wrong and now I'm confused.

Why would you choose to adjust your vacation to a lower value?

Originally Posted by Aero1900

Monkeybrains, thank you for clearing that up.

I was definitely wrong in my understanding of the variable vacation credit. In your example of reducing one vacation period down to only 20 hours, are you still guaranteed the 7 days off but just for less pay? And if that's the case, can you extend a vacation later in the year? Or just use the remaining vacation credits to be paid for INV days?

I guess I'm still not 100% clear on the relationship between credits and days. Thanks

Originally Posted by monkeybrains

This is not correct. The value of a week is variable based on the pilot's preferences. The pilot will assign a value to their vacation of 15-40 hours. These will be pay credits (deducted from your bank) that count towards your monthly award, i.e. if the ALV is 80 and you assign a value of 15 hours for the week, you will be on the hook for at least 65 more hours (and you will receive 15 hours of pay credit for your week of vacation), if you assign 40 hours for the week, you will be on the hook for at least 40 more hours (and you will receive 40 hours of pay credit for your week of vacation). INV days can be taken paid or unpaid at the pilot's discretion. If they are taken paid, the pay credits will also count towards your monthly award. INV days can net you more pay during a week of vacation, but it will be at the expense of a future week (the value will be deducted from your bank). The real benefit is that it allows a junior pilot that doesnt have the seniority to stretch his vacation by a couple of days.

Originally Posted by monkeybrains

Honestly, I think most pilots will just take 35 hours for the week and call it good, however, a pilot might assign a value of 20 to his first week of vacation to free up credit for a subsequent month, (e.g. a pilot has 4 weeks worth 140 hours, week one he assigns 20 hours and no IVN days, on his second week he wants to credit a bunch so he assigns 40 hours plus 2 paid INV days, he now has 50 hours of pay in the second week. For his last 2 weeks, he has 70 hours and could assign credit as he sees fit.)
ow.