Please explain how "airline pay" works
 

Could someone please help explain how pay works at different airlines? I have heard the term block or better and don’t quite understand what it means.

Thanks

From my understanding, block is the time between when brakes are released at pushback, and brakes are set at the destination. You'll get paid for that much at a minimum. However, if your block time is extremely short, especially in relation to how long you've actually been on duty, you'll get additional pay on top of block. I'm not in the 121 world yet, so someone can probably clarify a lot better for you.

Well.....that's a deep subject. Ha!

It is complex, and I don't fully understand it at my own airline. So you're asking a very broad question. What I can tell you is that block or better means that for a given leg, you get paid the higher of either a) the block time it actually took you, or b) the historical average block time for that leg.

Block time is what an airline figures for a flight from gate-to-gate. So basically if someone buys a ticket, scheduled from JFK-BOS to leave at 7:00 to 8:00, thats 1 hour of block time. If you fly it in 40 minutes, you go under block. *Most* airlines will still pay the original scheduled block time for your "credit" pay. So you have a 40 minute block time, but 1 hour credit time.

Block-or-better refers to paying you more than what was originally scheduled. That same flight of 1 hour could certainly turn nasty with bad weather in the NorthEast. So lets say because of ATC and weather, you now don't get to BOS until 9:30. Thats 2.5 hours to get to BOS. Thats 1.5 hours over block time. Block or better makes sure you get paid for 2.5 hours.

Some airlines do not have this in their contract. They then work that extra 1.5 hour for free, getting only paid the original 1 hour.

Credit is what your paycheck says, block is what your logbook says.

Thank you for your responses.

What other ways do airlines pay aside from block or better?

Some pay block only. Others are salary not hourly. But the salary jobs are mostly Part 135 jobs.

You will be paid for for the flight's scheduled block time even if you complete the flight in less than the scheduled block time. If your actual block time exceeds scheduled block time, you will be paid the actual time. Hence the term, block or better

Dang you guys can type fast!

So if your getting paid block and you fly the 1hour flight in 45min you get paid 1hour? And if you fly that same 1hour flight in 2hours you still only get paid 1hour?

Just want to make sure I understand.. Thanks

The first part is correct. If you exceed scheduled block you are paid for the actual block. So if the scheduled block is 45 minutes and it takes you 2 hours, you'll be paid for the 2 hours.