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.

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.

So, what happens with the time you spend getting ready, such as paperwork on the ground, doing the preflight, etc? Do you get any $$$ for that? Or, do you start getting paid once they push back, no matter how early you got there to get ready for the flight?

The routine pre- and post- flight activities are are provided by you as a complimentary service to the traveling public, airline stockholders, and managers.

Actually your hourly pay rate has traditionally been assumed to cover routine pre/post flight duties

A few airlines have a provision to pay you for time spent doing non-routine pre / post flight duties. In this case you would get paid for time spent dealing with lengthy Mx issues, passenger issues, or ground repo of airplanes. At most regionals, you just take this stuff in the shorts.