ACMI to SWA?
03-29-2026 | 08:10 AM
#11
At your mom's house
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 449
From: cpt 737
I say easy to do . Trade your reserve blocks for trips with other pilots and then you can move the trips around as you please. The pilots that get the scheduled that they want, put some work into it. We have pilots here that are complete socialist, they want everything handed to them. They feel no one should ever have anything better than them, under any circumstances. I’ve seen lots of junior pilots ( CA and FO) with great schedules and great vacation.
but it is true I've seen people who trade till they are only left with day trips.
Idk how, maybe they have an agreement with someone senior etc.
it's possible but I've only seen two people consistently do that in my base and they've been here 4 yrs.
I would come here knowing you will work weekends until you are at 50% base/seat senority
03-29-2026 | 10:22 AM
#12
On Reserve
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 47
Likes: 7
From: *NO relief on scope*
I'm a person who utilizes long periods of days off. This month I have 11 days off in a row, and next month I've managed so far to get 16 days off in a row. If a trip appears in ELITT where I can move something to the end of the month (should happen eventually), I'll have even more off.
When bidding a line, you'll want to either avoid 4 days, OR bid an all four day line. An all four day line, especially on the blanks, can already have 10 days off.
When using ELITT, the best thing will be to get yourself away from red days ASAP and then try put two three days together, the first Thu-Sat and the second Sun-Mon. Weekday trips go very quick in ELITT, but if you watch the alerts it's possible. If you are super fast and/or lucky, you can drop duty periods in ELITT.
Other tools you'll have available are TTGA (trade or give away trips to other pilots), monthly overlap (get duty periods dropped when trips overlap month-to-month), vacation (should be able to turn one week into 21 days off, but won't get your full vacation until you've been here a full calendar year), training bid (could get two trips dropped without pay going forward) and finally sick time, if not having ten days off in block causes you to not feel fit to fly. Just don't post pics from your boat, especially as an FO.
It would be in your best interest once through training to read the SWAPA Scheduling Handbook thoroughly, and then look at the trip construction and execution parts of the contract.
When bidding a line, you'll want to either avoid 4 days, OR bid an all four day line. An all four day line, especially on the blanks, can already have 10 days off.
When using ELITT, the best thing will be to get yourself away from red days ASAP and then try put two three days together, the first Thu-Sat and the second Sun-Mon. Weekday trips go very quick in ELITT, but if you watch the alerts it's possible. If you are super fast and/or lucky, you can drop duty periods in ELITT.
Other tools you'll have available are TTGA (trade or give away trips to other pilots), monthly overlap (get duty periods dropped when trips overlap month-to-month), vacation (should be able to turn one week into 21 days off, but won't get your full vacation until you've been here a full calendar year), training bid (could get two trips dropped without pay going forward) and finally sick time, if not having ten days off in block causes you to not feel fit to fly. Just don't post pics from your boat, especially as an FO.
It would be in your best interest once through training to read the SWAPA Scheduling Handbook thoroughly, and then look at the trip construction and execution parts of the contract.
03-29-2026 | 12:52 PM
#14
Line Holder
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 997
Likes: 68
Just being realistic, regardless of the time of year, if you are holding Friday thru Monday 4 day reserve blocks it's going to be really difficult to trade that for a trip. Trust me...I tried. Thank goodness I'm on the blanks now
03-30-2026 | 09:26 AM
#15
On Reserve
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 24
Likes: 3
I'm a person who utilizes long periods of days off. This month I have 11 days off in a row, and next month I've managed so far to get 16 days off in a row. If a trip appears in ELITT where I can move something to the end of the month (should happen eventually), I'll have even more off.
When bidding a line, you'll want to either avoid 4 days, OR bid an all four day line. An all four day line, especially on the blanks, can already have 10 days off.
When using ELITT, the best thing will be to get yourself away from red days ASAP and then try put two three days together, the first Thu-Sat and the second Sun-Mon. Weekday trips go very quick in ELITT, but if you watch the alerts it's possible. If you are super fast and/or lucky, you can drop duty periods in ELITT.
Other tools you'll have available are TTGA (trade or give away trips to other pilots), monthly overlap (get duty periods dropped when trips overlap month-to-month), vacation (should be able to turn one week into 21 days off, but won't get your full vacation until you've been here a full calendar year), training bid (could get two trips dropped without pay going forward) and finally sick time, if not having ten days off in block causes you to not feel fit to fly. Just don't post pics from your boat, especially as an FO.
It would be in your best interest once through training to read the SWAPA Scheduling Handbook thoroughly, and then look at the trip construction and execution parts of the contract.
When bidding a line, you'll want to either avoid 4 days, OR bid an all four day line. An all four day line, especially on the blanks, can already have 10 days off.
When using ELITT, the best thing will be to get yourself away from red days ASAP and then try put two three days together, the first Thu-Sat and the second Sun-Mon. Weekday trips go very quick in ELITT, but if you watch the alerts it's possible. If you are super fast and/or lucky, you can drop duty periods in ELITT.
Other tools you'll have available are TTGA (trade or give away trips to other pilots), monthly overlap (get duty periods dropped when trips overlap month-to-month), vacation (should be able to turn one week into 21 days off, but won't get your full vacation until you've been here a full calendar year), training bid (could get two trips dropped without pay going forward) and finally sick time, if not having ten days off in block causes you to not feel fit to fly. Just don't post pics from your boat, especially as an FO.
It would be in your best interest once through training to read the SWAPA Scheduling Handbook thoroughly, and then look at the trip construction and execution parts of the contract.
03-30-2026 | 09:35 AM
#16
— No Relief On Scope —
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 4,531
Likes: 306
From: B737 Left Seat
That all depends on domicile and time of year. How much are reserves flying? Summer vs February makes a difference. Even time of the month ie first half vs second half matters.
03-30-2026 | 10:07 AM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,553
Likes: 397
It is very rare to get weekend reserve picked up. I would not expect it at all. You may get the odd 3 day block picked up during a low month, but overall, you can plan on not being able to move those blocks or have them picked up.
Some bases are more desperate than others, so your mileage certainly may vary, but just being real here, you are probably stuck with that weekend reserve until you can hold a line. The good news is that reserve is a lot better than it used to be. It pays great and the rules around it are pretty great.
03-30-2026 | 10:30 AM
#18
weekends off? Nope...
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,407
Likes: 134
I am going to be the voice of reason here.
It is very rare to get weekend reserve picked up. I would not expect it at all. You may get the odd 3 day block picked up during a low month, but overall, you can plan on not being able to move those blocks or have them picked up.
Some bases are more desperate than others, so your mileage certainly may vary, but just being real here, you are probably stuck with that weekend reserve until you can hold a line. The good news is that reserve is a lot better than it used to be. It pays great and the rules around it are pretty great.
It is very rare to get weekend reserve picked up. I would not expect it at all. You may get the odd 3 day block picked up during a low month, but overall, you can plan on not being able to move those blocks or have them picked up.
Some bases are more desperate than others, so your mileage certainly may vary, but just being real here, you are probably stuck with that weekend reserve until you can hold a line. The good news is that reserve is a lot better than it used to be. It pays great and the rules around it are pretty great.
03-30-2026 | 02:08 PM
#19
At your mom's house
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 3,675
Likes: 449
From: cpt 737
I came from ACMI 2 weeks on/off.
I get wanting the same blocks of time off. You're not going to get that being new. It'll be 3 on 4 off or 4 on 3 off. Plan on that for a t least a yr if not more and when you get off of weekends you can start putting stuff together and get bigger blocks off.
Thats just the reality. If you come here thinking you cam recreate your old schedule youll be disappointed..
I get wanting the same blocks of time off. You're not going to get that being new. It'll be 3 on 4 off or 4 on 3 off. Plan on that for a t least a yr if not more and when you get off of weekends you can start putting stuff together and get bigger blocks off.
Thats just the reality. If you come here thinking you cam recreate your old schedule youll be disappointed..
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