After 264 posts you learn a few things.

I think Mesa is one of the few that is not block or better, but I could be wrong. I dont work there.

Trip and Duty Rig 101
 

Check out this article on the main site:

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/resou...070311214.html

So is this “block” or “block or better”?

Is there such a thing as just block?

Sorry if I’m slow tonight…

If it's scheduled at 45 and you get paid for 2 hours, that'd be the "better".

The sad reality is that it really doesn't matter, because at roughly $20/hr., it just doesn't make much difference.

They had their chance to get it and more. I was at CCAIR when they bought us. We had duty rigs, trip gaurantees, the whole shebang. 70K flying a Dash 8. Ornstein offered us the first ERJ's if we would give up our work rules and take pay cuts! Our MEC and Mesa's MEC agreed not to whipsaw each other and bring their contract up to ours. I left before it happened, but Mesa's pilots screwed the CCAIR guys and left them hanging. They deserve everything their getting. Sorry, didn't mean to change the original subject.

I'm starting training with PSA next month - anybody know if they are one of the 'block or better' companies?

Yes i would also like to know this about PSA. Jan 21st Class Date here<-- Any PSA pilots roaming the forum right now?? I hear they fly the he11 out of you when on reserve...

I don't know what PSA's contract says, but I can speak for Piedmont's, which does have block or better.

I don't think he was asking about block-or-better in that last post. To clarify:

Block-or better: You get paid the HIGHER of the actual or scheduled flight time. This is good, but not all airlines have it. If you complete the leg in less time than scheduled block, you still get paid at least the scheduled value.

Scheduled Block: You get paid ONLY the scheduled block (or possibly an historical average to account for seasonal variations). This is usually bad. It might be OK if it were a true and correct yearly average, but the companies which use this system usually throw out "statistical anomalies" when calculating average block. A statistical anomaly would be deicing, holding, flow delays, etc.

Some airlines also pay a Duty Rig, typically 1-for-2. This means that if you are on duty for 12 hours, you will get paid AT LEAST 6 hours (1 hour pay for every 2 on duty). If you fly less than six hours, you still get paid 1 hour for every 2 on duty. If you actually fly more than 6 hours in the 12 hour period, you get paid what you flew. Airlines which don't have a duty rig are usually bad news.