Unofficial Guide to Delta Scheduling (Definitions)
 

In case any NW pilot cares, I am going to try to give an unofficial, line pilot's guide to our scheduling system. I am hoping this is a "wiki" type effort, where other people will add to and correct my info. I am going to start with definitions with more to come. I am sure that there is an official guide being worked up, but this may get some NW pilots some info in the meantime.

TLV - Targeted Line Value - (range 74-79) - This number keeps Delta management from over scheduling and under scheduling pilots consistently. This number is for the pilots. It is the 12 month average of the ALV in a position (aircraft and seat, for example 777 co-pilot). Delta cannot consistently use an ALV of 82, because then the average will be too high.

ALV - Average Line Value - (range 72-82) - This is the average number of hours scheduled for each regular line holder each month. It is not the maximum you can fly. This number is for management so they can adjust our flying to meet their marketing schedule.

LCW - Line Construction Window - (range + or - 7.5 hours from the ALV, with some exceptions at the high and low ends) - This allows pilots to build their schedules to meet their needs. A very tight LCW would force pilots to give up days off they want or eliminate pattern bids in order to fit their schedule into a narrow band. Sometimes you get a high value line, sometimes low, but you can always try to pick up more later.

White Slip (yes it used to be a white piece of paper, now it is computerized) - This is a request for a regular line holder to get more time at straight pay. The limit is 15 hours above the ALV. So if your ALV is 77, then you can pick up to 92 hours with a white slip. White slips have priority over reserve pilots.

Green Slip - Request to fly for double pay. These are given out only when they are out of reserve pilots. The Green Slip trigger is 75 hours or the ALV whichever is less. You can get a Green Slip and get paid some straight pay and some double pay. For example if you are scheduled for 72 hours in a month with an ALV of 75. If you get a Green Slip, the first 3 hours will be straight pay and the rest will be double pay. Reserve pilots can Green Slip on their off days and they get paid straight pay, on top of the reserve guarantee, and then they get their off days paid back. For example, a reserve pilot gets a 2 day green slip worth 11 hours. He would get paid his guarantee (70) and the green slip (11) for 81 hours. He would then get his next two on-call days off as pay back. When manning is short, reserve pilots keep on requesting to fly on their off days, and then keep getting more off days. This is called rolling thunder.

Inverse Assignment (IA) - Junior manning. Always double pay. Don't answer the phone if you don't want to fly it. They now have a system where they robo-call the whole base when they are junior manning. You can ignore the call, listen to your voice mail, and then call back if you want the trip.

Long Call Reserve - 12 hour notification. When you are on long call, you never have to answer the phone (and most pilots don't). You do have to listen to your message and acknowledge the trip within 3 hours of the report time. For example, it is 7 pm. Scheduling can assign you a trip starting at 7 am the next morning. You have to acknowledge the call by 4 am. Most pilots let the phone ring, and then listen to voice mail and then acknowledge by calling or signing on to the computer. Scheduling will call up to two numbers in the database.

Short Call Reserve - Limit of 6 per month. They have to give you 9 hours rest before short call. Domestic short call is 12 hours long, international 24. They stagger the start of short call periods during the day. On short call you have to be "promptly available" which is generally considered 2 hours. Traffic problems are considered legitimate excuses to be later than 2 hours. Living in Tampa and being based in Atlanta is not considered a legitimate excuse to be later than 2 hours.

RAW Values (Reserve Assignment Weighting) - Instead of a first in first out system, Delta assigns points to reserves based on the number of hours you have flown and the number of duty periods you have worked. The person with the lowest RAW value (least amount of flying) is given the next trip. You can put your trip preferences in the computer when you are on reserve. If a group of pilots are all being given trips, then they will go in seniority order and try to give the more senior pilots in the group the trips they desire.

In general, scheduling fills trips in the following order:

1. White slips in seniority order
2. Reserve pilots
3. Green slips in seniority order
4. Inverse assignments

There are actually 20 or more steps that include instructors and out of base pilots but in general it is what is listed above.

Thanks that is very good infor for former NWA guys.....!

Thank You!!!

Wow, great post. I really appreciate the information.

Some more comments on reserve. The RAW (reserve assignement weighting) score is a long formula. It's in the contract, but the bottom line is you get roughly 15 points for every day you fly.

Reserves are broken down into groupings by days of availability. They are broken down into 4 or more days, 3 days, 2 days, and 1 day.

If a four day trip pops up, it goes to the reserve pilot in the 4 or more group with the lowest RAW score. If a three day trip comes up, it would go to the pilot in the 3 day group with the lowest RAW, even though he may have a higher RAW score than a pilot in the 4 day group. However, if there are no 3 day pilots available, then nothing precludes scheduling from giving the trip to a pilot with 4 days available.

Heyas Guys,

Thanks a ton for this info. Let's keep it going, so I will throw some questions out there:

On an AE "award", how long to they have to get you trained, when do you get notified for training, and when does the pay switch?

What is the difference between a "personal drop" and a "authorized personal drop"? From what I can figure, you only get one APD a year, and it lets you drop a trip with fewer reserve requirements. Do you need prior approval from someone to use it?

PBS for reserves? On-line yet?

Any procedures for base swapping? Waiting for the once/twice a year AE to switch from MSP to DTW seems kind of onerous.

Thanks!

Nu

There are a whole bunch of DAL MEC "guides" already published handed out to DAL new hires. While we don't strictly meet that criteria, I'm sure there is lots of good info for FN pilots.

Do you know why our MEC has withheld the distribution of these materials?

I guess we'll have to get them from the DAL MEC. "Not invented here" seems to cut both ways.....

We usually have an AE every 3 months or so. There can be more or less depending on what's going on. They have 1 AE/year they can designate as 365 day conversion like this last one. All others you must be converted in 180 days or less. If they haven't trained you you are still pay protected to your new position after the 180 days (or 365 days). Shortly after the bid results (within a week or so) they'll issue the projected training month for your award then you get the actual dates by the 8th of the month prior to your training month.

One APD/year. No prior approval. You just request it in DBMS.

No PBS for reserves yet. Beta test version testing now (I think).

No procedure for base swapping except to bid via AE. Since you don't need training if you stay on the same equipment you are often converted very quickly (depending on manning). You can bid "out of base" white and green slips to try and pick up time somewhere else but it's not that easy to do unless a category is really short.

Someone smarter than me can fill in the blanks and make corrections where needed.

I believe it's six or nine months, and once a year they can put out a bid that has twelve months. Usually within a week or two after a bid closes, the training estimates come out, but you won't find out for sure until the month before you go to training. Pay switches when you are converted. And by the way, the above times, 9 or 12 months, are how long they have to convert you to the new category. I guy I know just got converted to the 777 but has not gone to training yet. He is sitting home drawing 777 pay.

A personal drop is when you put in to drop a trip. If the reserves required vs available show they have enough reserves, then you will get the drop. Once a year you get an authorized personal drop. In the case of an APD. the reserves available only have to be 25% of the reserves required and you will get the drop. There is also a qualified personal drop. Basically, if you put in a regular personal drop and it is denied, you can leave it in the computer. That trip now shows up in open time, and if someone else picks it up, its gone from your schedule.

Not yet. The test program is up this month. I would guess we will have PBS for reserves within six months.

Nope, if you want to change bases you have to wait for the normal AE process. AEs come often when things are moving. But then you can have a year with only one or two.

Heyas F4H,

That's a legit question. The short answer is that the DAL new-hire materials are not updated for either LOA19 or the JPWA, nor do they contain any transition information regarding ammendment A items that do not apply to FNPs until certain transition points.

The guys working on this stuff are still parsing it to see what's what, not to mention getting up to speed themselves.

My guess is that stuff that is straight forward, like user guides for PBS (we're going to need minimal training for that, it's practically the same) and the other DAL computer systems (like the PCS system) you'll probably see shortly after the pow wow next week.

Nu