I can't wait to see the Reasons Report why two trips I requested as my #3 and #4 choices remain in open time after VTOs processed. #1 and #2 requests went senior to me.

Time to file a grievance, it's the only way it will get fixed.

Let me guess, "pairing unavailable due to line constrains?" I was given this reason for not getting an otherwise legal single departure trip. Gotta love a globalized PBS system.

My main gripe is that they are building in 1 in 7 by giving you a sinlge day off in the middle of two relatively short reserve blocks.

I was the number 8 VTO. Apparently, the two trips dropped into open time after they took a snapshot of Open Time (A week ago). So even though the trips were legal and in open time before VTO bidding closed, they weren't available for VTO. Huh?

Did you find that out from Michelle V or another planner? This "snapshot" thing was going on with the old system as well. Total BS.
The trips showed on the SLG list and you could click on them and "request trip" but they weren't actually available to be awarded? Grieve that and squash this before it becomes business as usual.

Another issue I noticed with the 777 trips was a C/O trip that showed at 0100L on the first day of the Sep bid month (which starts at 0130L). So, the trip was still an Aug trip. When I selected the trip, there was no "request trip" prompt in the upper right corner. I had to go to my preferences and manually enter it. I guess the software was thinking it was a Sep trip.

Anyone having issues with the vacation buffer tab, or requesting reserve blocks

You have to request individual blocks by name thru the preferences rankings (red circle)>reserve>reserve number. There's no button to add it like trips.