waterskisabersw

This is not accurate in any way. Once you begin a trip, any changes that are made are subject to the same Daily Reassignment Pay as line holders EXCEPT that it only applies at the first point of change, and only to the day that you're currently on.

Example: you are on a three day block of reserve. You are assigned a turn, DAL-BWI-DAL. When you land in BWI, scheduling calls you and says after getting to DAL you're now going to MAF for a sweet seafood buffet overnight, returning to DAL in the morning. You would get DRP on the DAL-MAF leg (premium), while only normal rigs apply on the leg back in the morning. You land in MAF, and scheduling says they have another change for you. Instead of just flying back to DAL, you report at the same time and are flying MAF-LAS-STL-BWI for an overnight. You don't get move up pay, BUT if the MAF-LAS lands after the original DAL leg was supposed to land, it falls outside of the new "original" pairing that you were assigned the night before, so it trips the MAF-LAS leg to DRP, along with all subsequent legs on that day. The following day is at normal rigs and pay. If the MAF-LAS leg doesn't fall outside of the "original" pairing, then that leg is still at straight time while the subsequent legs are paid at premium.

This is why many people, including relatively senior people like me, bid reserve on purpose. During times of operational crisis, it can be quite lucrative. A lot of the time on reserve you are assigned pretty much day by day because you're covering broken trips. As they keep resigning you new bits of broken trips, those legs added are generally at premium. And as a reserve, you're almost always the first person to get reassignments, probably because of some skysolver logic.

Basically, once you are on a pairing, any changes made to it fall under the same rules of a line holder, but those rules stop applying at the end of the day of the first point of change. In my example above, if you were assigned a three day with MAF and BWI overnights, and they called you after you checked in to inform you that you would be just flying directly MAF and then being moved up the subsequent days, only the FIRST move up day would pay at premium, and barring further changes, day three, though technically a move up, would not pay at DRP. That's where one misconception lies.

The other misconception is that it only applies to changes on the day in which you are currently operating, which is also not true. If I checked in for my example above, a three day, and after checking in they call me and say we changed your third day to a move up, but the first two days are still the same, I would get DRP for day three, even though it's two days away and i haven't started that day yet.

Yet another reason we need a clear re-write of the contract. The language is very convoluted,.and if you play the reserve game, either by choice or because that's all you can hold, then you have to be especially well versed in the contract, which unfortunately is usually not the definition of a junior pilot.

Avroman

I didn't mean to imply reserve has no way of getting premium, but there is no almost no way a reserve gets the full day of "move up" premium pay as that would require an earlier report time thus a notification of it the day prior. That prior day change for the next day ON RESERVE doesn't trigger move up like it would a line holder. Yes living in base here as a reserve is usually a pretty good gig for reasons you pointed out. The one big missing piece there is no ability to elit or drop days and change contact times. And very minimal ability to preference trips.
I just got done with a 3 day PM reserve trip. It was assigned as 3 days. Day 2 changed at the end of day one due to timing out. I was pay protected for the lost leg day one but NO move up pay day two for the now earlier deadhead to join back up with my trip. Then day two, I get reassigned after the deadhead to change where I was going for my overnight and my day three late deadhead to base became a morning leg then double deadhead to base. I got the guarantee for the lost leg day one and the guarantee for the lost TFP from the changes to day two. That didn't create "move up" for day two or day three. Yes, reserves can absolutely trigger premium pay legs at the back end of a day when more keeps getting added AFTER that duty period has already begun. IF that added flying is added for the NEXT day, it does NOT trigger premium as a reserve. Again (and I just double checked with SWAPA) premium during a reserve block can only be triggered by changes to the CURRENT DAY. The trip guarantees are what apply the same as a line holder, not the premium pay. The contract section sited is 4.M.6

avi8er

Yes it does. All depends on the time they notify you of the change next day. If they notify you of a move up after you got release for the day. The next day will be premium For the whole day due to move up. Same with if you had a 4pm show time on the second day of your 3 day trip and they change that to a 12pm show. You will get premium for the whole day.

waterskisabersw

The problem with your first example and why it didn't trigger move up is that the change was the leg dropping in your first day. Therefore THAT is the first point of change, and the next day doesn't trigger DRP. Same thing with day two. The legs changing you to get into your overnight before day three are the "first point of change", and therefore don't trigger on day 3.

Move up notifications the day prior ABSOLUTELY trigger DRP. Even if you haven't dutied off. The caveat is that it only triggers it if there are no changes on the day you're currently working.

I very often trigger move up pay on reserve, even am reserve, as recently as three times this month. It doesn't matter when you get released or whatever. Once you start on a pairing number, the next change is treated as DRP from the first point of change that triggers DRP and for all subsequent legs that day. Then if on day two you get a reassignment of day three (new pairing number), whatever legs that trigger DRP (move up or down or extension) get paid at premium until the end of the day that gets changed. And so on and so forth.

And that's how I'm at over 150tfp with one day not worked. But you have to know your contract, because the audit is CONSTANTLY WRONG. Literally every other one I have to email them and have them reapply premium where they messed up. Screenshot your schedule after every change, don't trust that the codes will remain in there, or a change of code will trigger a new pairing number. I get around 10tfp a month in reaudits.

waterskisabersw

Does not matter when they notify you, as long as there are no changes to the day you're currently flying doesn't have any changes. The language the company and swapa use (which isn't in the contract, only in their best practices agreements) is "first point of change".

4V14T0R

Do we, as line swine, have access to this "best practices agreement" or is this gate kept like many of the keys to interpreting this contract?

Thanks for this tips to look out for, by the way. 3 years in, forced on reserve, and still learning the nuance.

Poppapimp

Reserve at SWA is the best thing since sliced bread. I love that all of the Captains senior to me were so traumatized by the pre 2016 work rules that they are content flying 80 block hour/month hard lines for less money.

ZapBrannigan

Unless you're based in Dallas and want to avoid going to the sim anymore than necessary. They love reserves as seat fillers.

waterskisabersw

we do not, yet another reason we need a complete rewrite. The information I've gleaned over seven plus years where I do reserve 4-5 months per year is a combination of reading the contract and simply emailing contract admin any time I see something that doesn't look right.

If I had to describe my mantra, it is just as important to know the times when you DON'T get paid a little extra as it is to know the times when you DO. By knowing that, there are fewer and fewer surprises, and I know my pay to the 100th of a trip even before all the audits finally get completed. Whenever it's off, I always contact contract admin, even if it's higher. Of course, I don't leave a paper trail when it's higher. Those ones I reserve for phone calls. But even from those I've learned the company very very very rarely makes mistakes in your favor, so you can learn a new way to manipulate your pay and/or catch an error if they short you some obscure little contractual benefit.

at6d

Don’t forget to call scheduling immediately for any return to gate or engine run events! Get it coded! $