Overall the process works something like this:

Round 1 lines are built based on dad's flying demands which are put out for bidding.

After round 1 is awarded the company applies individual restrictions to each persons individual line. Things like relocation days, vacation, simulator events, additional duties, etc.

Then the SAP is held, it was recently divided into CA SAP and FO SAP to improve efficiency and overall usefulness by decreasing the turn-time on transactions... otherwise known as "PROCESSING." Each pilot has the opportunity to adjust his/her schedule as they desire with minimal restrictions. The cool thing about SAP, as previously mentioned, is that trade transactions are accomplished without the reserve grid or manning in mind. So, yes, every round one line holding pilot has the opportunity to drop via trade Thanksgiving and Christmas. You aren't allowed to straight drop a trip, it has to be part of a trade transaction but you are allowed to trade 8 working days for 4 working days... or 2 working days, or whatever as long as it keeps you FAA legal and you don't drop below 65 hour of credit for the month.

After the SAP, Scheduling takes the leftovers and builds the round 2 schedules for the remaining pilots to bid on in round 2. Those schedules are obviously made up of lines that are less efficient or weekends/holidays, less than pleasurable overnights, or whatever other reason dumped into opentime and picked up by no one. The company builds the reserve grid to cover the additional flying plus their necessary buffer for each day. What that means to the reserve grid is that there will be additional reserves to cover the left over lines after round 2 lines are built. Lets say the company wants 10 reserves to cover Thanksgiving and there are 10 additional lines left in opentime after the round two lines are built... that would dictate 20 total reserves for the day... so when they build the reserve lines they will have 20 reserve assignments on Thanksgiving. All of the round 2 lines and reserve lines are then put out for bidding.

After round 2 there is a Seniority "adjustment bid" which is primarily used by round 2 guys to adjust their schedules or move reserve days. Some round 1 guys use it as well for final adjustments or to pick up flying at 1.25.

That's just a line pilot's simple view on the process... probably slightly misguided, but fairly close to reality.

 

Classes of 25 seems small for a company that desperately needs growth. We are loosing at least 25/month, that's a net gain of 25.

 

Two classes a month is the norm. that would be 50/mo and in theory a gain of 25 a month...

 

11 showed up today so we aren't meeting that goal. How long has it been since they announced increase pay rates? A month?

 

It hasn't been that long and this is really the first class that they would of had available to anyone interested after the pay increases and bonus were announced. Classes of 25 twice /month purportedly slated from now through December.

 

I heard this is the last smallish class, with the next one being around 25 and continuing every class. That would make sense, since it's been almost a month since the announcement. It takes a few weeks to sift through applications, get the interviews set up, and offer a date.

 

I have heard the same. From "schoolhouse" folks in DAY.

 

11 is what they expected this class. Some new pilots needed the CTP course, so they are doing that first.

Most people that interviewed wanted more time than 2 weeks to leave their other job and come to PSA.

More than 40 people interviewed last week, and 50 scheduled for this week (including Skype interviews).

I think we will eventually up the class size to 30 again, but they are spinning the training machine up again, so this class of 11 and a couple classes of 25 will help not to overload it from the beginning.

 

Money solves almost all problems. Glad AA finally figured it out. Cheaper to pay a bonus than lose the flying altogether or transfer it to mainline.

 

Three hours can take you to the Norfolk/Newport News/Williamsburg area. RIC is two hours south. PHL is actually driveable to DCA. I know a guy, now at JetBlue, who drove to IAD.

The first time I was DCA-based, I bought a house in the eastern panhandle of WV. DCA was a 70-mile drive from there but, because of traffic, was frequently a two-hour drive. The second time, I crashed at a friend's house in Frederick, MD. That was about 90 minutes to DCA.