Monthly Credit at DAL/AMR/ETC
 

I see that monthly credit guarantees at the likes of DAL and AMR are very low(65,64). What is the likelyhood of actually getting 'only' guarantee? Is it easy to pick up extra flying for extra pay? Are the actual lines built up to more than 65 typically? Just wondering. Thanks.

At Delta, reserve guarantee is 70 hrs, so that number is just for line holders. Although a regular lineholder -could- get a 65 hr line, that would be pretty rare.

How it work is that the company picks an "average line value" - ALV for each month. It can vary from 72 (winter) or so up to 82 (summer). When PBS builds a line, they can be 7.5 hrs above or below the ALV. So if the ALV is 75 for the month (it differs for each fleet / position), PBS will build a line from 67.5 to 82.5 for each pilot. You can request to have a "minimum line" or "maximum line" if you want - PBS will try to get you in the lower half (ie, 67.5 to 75) or higher half (75 to 82.5) for that month.

Also, you can pick up trips after you get your line or you can drop trips.

On the -88 I average about 75-77 credit hours in the winter and 82-85 in the summer plus the occasional green slip.

This year (at DAL, year 5 pay, on reserve on the 737 3 out of 4 months):

January: 91 hrs
Feb: 82 hrs
March (lineholder): 78 hrs... no open time pickups.
April and back on rsv is looking to be another guarantee breaking month as well.

7ER Reserve pilot

82-95 hrs per month over the last six months. Two months of 70 hrs and then the four months before that were over guarantee.

Was over six figures after deductions.

I have averaged 74.2 hours a month here at Delta. On fourth year pay now, and all but seven of the months have been on reserve.

Interesting- and yet many 2010 hires have lines. Is there that much qol difference between reserve and line holders?

HUGE difference. I went ATLM88B to CVGM88B to have a line and drive (5 hours to work). That worked until they displaced the 7ER in CVG, so I was on reserve, then bid MSPM88B at 60% and couldn't hold a line so I figured if I was going to have to commute to reserve, I might as well get paid. So, now I'm DTW7ERB hoping the wait for OE continues until June :D. The chase for a line continues.