Hey guys,

Was wondering. When you look up through awards, bid packs etc...

What is they key by which you decide whatseniority number is needed to be able to hold a line?

In other words, what makes someone turn from a reserve pilot to a line pilot...?

Would the first guy's seniority number to get the last line that is nota reserve line signify the seniority number required to hold a line?

Thx
-schone

I'll be specific as it relates to Mesaba.

Let's look at MEM Saab F/O bid package for February.

There are 47 Saab F/Os in MEM. For the month of February, 39 of them are eligible to bid and are ranked by seniority number. (8 are not eligible for various reasons).

For February MEM Saab F/O bid pack has 30 hard lines, 5 reserve lines and 4build-up/reserve.

The lines are ranked by weekends off and days off and total credit. Typically, you can figure that of the 39 eligible bidders, the top 30 will get a hard line in February, 5 will get a reserve line, and the remaining 4 will get a build-up/reserve.

In any given month, a more senior pilot may elect to bid Reserve to be at home and get work done on the house or something. Reserve call outs go in reverse seniority, so a senior pilot on reserve will be used last. In this case, if you are bidding 31 or 32, you could from month to month hold a line and then not, depending on the pilots above you opting reserve for whatever reason. If you are in the bottom 4 or 5, you can plan on not holding a line.

pretty much the same at pinnacle, we had 208 lines in memphis with 200 or so guys bidding,,, 155 hard lines, and the rest were reserve and build up. If you are in the bid order 155 or less, you are guaranteed a line, if you are over 155, then you still may have a chance if some of the senior guys bid reserve,,, thats about the only way you can tell. So when your bid number is equal to or less than the number of available hard lines, you should be good to go!

My bid award is going to be funny... I am the last F/O in mem (205) out of 200... I get to be schedule's red-headed stepchild in feb!

What the other people said is correct, but I would add that there are probably a few senior pilots who WANT to be on reserve for the month for whatever reason...so even if it looks like you will be on reserve, bid some hardlines too. When I was on reserve (about 200 pilots) I would bid for 20-30 hard lines first and then bid for all of the reserve lines, in preferential order. About twice a year I would get a hard line due to senior guys intentionally bidding reserve (or forgetting to bid ).


I knew a guy who would bid EVERY single line every month, even though he was low on the reserve list...occasionally a really good line would get passed over by the senior guys (cuz the the bottom feeders didn't bother to bid any of the the best lines) and this guy would get a great deal. I was too lazy since I always needed certain days off for family stuff and would have had to analyze each line for that. But if you don't care which days off you get...

oh man, thats always a good time,,,!!!! you love it!!!