To anyone interested in spirit:
Don't confuse the above to be the norm. It's not. I'd love to see either what base he's in or who he knows in scheduling. 200% is a JUNIOR assignment so if you are not junior (you won't be for long) then they never call you unless you either work in a very understaffed base or you are buddies with a scheduler and can get them to break the contract to give you a junior assignment out of order. Getting 100hrs of credit on rsv is very rare. A couple of years ago no, but now it is.

As far as conflicts go its decent language but it typically goes very senior and it can take time to get that seniority. Unless you you can back six days of one month to six straight of the following month (very few lines fit this criteria) there are many circumstances where they can replace what you had in a conflict for something of their choosing netting you no extra pay typically. Also you may have to bid a line you don't want just to get the conflict when someone junior to you would have wanted it. Now you both are working lines you don't want. Another example is the holiday months. Got kids you want to see trick or treat, have thanksgiving with family and spend more than just one day, same for Xmas and New Years? If you bid for lines with those days off and get it then you can kiss your better conflict scenarios goodbye.

There is good an bad in everything and is love working here and would welcome anyone else that's interested but don't let anyone paint some picture or 170hr credit months by getting conflicts and junior assignments while getting released with pay from other trips. It just doesn't happen that often unless you are the chosen few. I'm a flica ***** and do credit over 100hrs most months but I work my ass off to get it and have my bag packed to leave at a moments notice in case they happen to call say 50 guys below me and they don't want the JA so they finally call me. My wife doesn't care for it but it was almost necessary on first year pay just to live. Then you get accustomed to that credit and want to keep it up on second year pay and after upgrade. It's not sustainable to be a ***** for a career because eventually you want to have a life. Having a life and having high credit do not exist well together in practice. 174hrs a month. It's possible but also stuff of legend if following the contract because if you're senior enough for a good conflict you are probably too senior for a JUNIOR assignment to make it to you.

You will hear stories of delta 320 pilots getting green slips out the ass and making bank as well as united 787 pilots getting their whole schedule pay protected whiles they get called for 200% for other trips. The average line pilot just doesn't see that stuff and the same applies to spirit. I don't see any of those groups saying let's focus on the language and not the pay rates. We have language as does everyone else. Difference is they have pay too because not everyone is "flexible" enough to utilize the language.

I love it. 174 hrs is the stuff of legends? Try 240. Then you're competitive. Tough for a reserve to break 100? You're not in the game my friend. One 4-day JA trip on days off nets 108 credit for the month if that's the only trip you fly. Are you kidding? Even if you picked up the worst 4-day at straight pay on days off as a RSV (the only trip you fly) you'd be at 90 credit.

Conflicts are what you make it. Even a two-year FO in base can score at least a few days conflict drop without trying, to then pick up a JA over the same period, doubling down. Remember, waiting to be called will lead to little result. You gotta tickle the system a little bit.

Problem is, over the last three months, the JA availability has receded considerably due to new hires gobbling up all the open time at straight pay, but don't fret; the premium pay machine will return soon like it was 3 years ago. You'd be crazy to give up these rules when those times return.

Explain to me how you 'tickle the system' while following the contract and not screwing over your fellow co-workers. Sounds a lot like taking JA's out of order.

Exactly. I've been here a little over a year. Got called for a JA twice, both were just 4.5 hr turns. Got two conflicts: two days dropped one month and one on another. Of course I bid my schedule based on days off that I want not conflicts. Now that red/green is fixed, it may be possible to get both transition conflicts and the days off you want, especially the more senior u are.

Here's my opinion. Some say "don't give up the conflict". I agree, but it a huge bargaining chip and I'll trade it away for the right $$ amount. To me it's a matter of principal. I want to be paid a fair wage when I do my required duties, then I want to go home. I don't want to have to "tickle the system" or take advantage of the caveats in the contract (like transition conflict) to make extra money. I also think it's ludicrous that people wh**e themselves out for straight time. If I work extra, I should get a premium. Most airlines have a premium pay over a certain hrs of credit and so should we.

Not to mention rsv pilots cannot pick up open time at straight pay on days off. They can only be called for JA. So if you don't get called its 72hrs that month. You talk like you can get a conflict every month and then just pick up a 4 day JA on top of it every month. Is there some magic 200% open time screen I don't see? I want us all to make as much money as possible but you need to follow the contract and clearly you are not. Tickle the system! Haha. You wanna call them for open time at 100% that is perfectly legal. If you are calling them to pick up open time as a rsv or for a JA as a line holder you are breaking the contract so clearly you won't care when the company breaks it too

Bull****. I'm 133 out of 174 in my base; November will make FIVE months this year that I score a nice transition conflict. I'm not alone in this either. Major holiday? Haven't worked one yet. Weekends? Most off, especially ones I want. It's the equivalent of five weeks of vacation EXTRA. For FREE.

I have a recurring nightmare that jackasses like you will allow transition conflict to be ****ed away for a song, all because you let your 9-year-old bid for you.

Lol dude... I'd love to see you try doing that in the bottom 25% of our other bases.... Like ACY. You'd be in for a rude awakening. It's not that tough to do in FLL because of the size of the base.

Great. We're ****ed. Because of your "principles" I guess I'll have to tell my wife and kids goodbye for an additional 5-6 days a month when I usually get a conflict. Bendo will be loving every line he reads if this kind of thing ever makes it to his desk. By bidding transition conflicts I'm doing absolutely nothing outside of the confines of my CBA and I certainly don't feel like my "principles" are compromised; I'm just working within the rules both sides gave me.

But you're telling me you'll give it away just so you don't feel "bad" about it and you want to work for every penny you earn? Tell me, how does that work out for you when you get paid 4 hours a day for an 8 hour day of recurrent? Or when you sit around a hotel for virtually free (due to trip averaging) away from your family?

***Note: I changed and highlighted your "more money" to reflect more "time off" so I'm not labeled an "overtime wh@re", thereby a threat to myself and others ***

I think the point is, it's better to make 200/hr and credit 50hrs than it is to make $100/hr and have to credit 100hrs

Ramrod: You know the pilots are not going to allow PBS, so how would you like to handle transition. If you happen to bid of days off and results in you working 6 days and losing credit for the parts you can't fly would you be cool with that? My guess is you would be happy to accept the current conflict language conflict. Soft time is a reality in the industry, and you are not doing anything wrong by abiding by the contract that company had agreed on. If you don't want to go after it no worries, but I don't see it going away.

As for JRM: My highest paying month was about 130, after a 22:30 JRM turned into 27 hours plus move up 31:30 after we got cancelled on go home day and agreed to fly it home the next. I don't think 170 is realistic unless you get JRM twice, move up, and conflict all in the same month! When I was living within driving distance from DTW, I got called at the start of almost every month for a JRM until I was greater than 50% on the FO list. Now it's usually the last minute turn or sick call. I do bid for conflicts (as long as I get the rest of the days I need too) and it works out about every other month. The months it does not work out turn out to have 7-14 days off from the end of one month to the other.