I fly around 60 hrs a month and credit 130-140. 15/16 off on rsv and I'll pick up 1-3 days OT depending how much scheduling is working me. Living in base, that's not really hustling...could prob do 160-170 pretty easy if I didn't care about days off. Only limit we have on picking up is FAR's.

 

being above the cap limits tfp too.

 

Is this achieved with premium pay that's consistently available? Or do trips picked up on days off (days not on reserve) go on top of reserve guarantee?

The ability to credit 130-140, if not 160-170 while working 16 - 19 days (your 15/16 with 1-3 days OT, per your example) seems pretty incredible. I'm guessing premium is consistently available in your current seat? If you could provide more details (or from anyone else at UAL), that would be helpful.

 

This is for SWA: Trips worked on a day off goes above rsv guarantee. When they assign you a rsv trip your guarantee goes up…a 3 day block is worth 18. They give you a 3 day that’s rigged pays 19.5 so your guarantee goes up 1.5. They start changing stuff on you and you get the greater of what you do or original trip and any new legs pay LCO on top of the rig.

We have a seniority based pick up that gets throttled once you hit 110% of the ALV (around 105) where people under the cap get a crack before people above the cap but if there’s enough trips you can still snag stuff. I’m too jr to get premium awards since RSV assignments put you above the cap so I get poor man’s premium….LCO. I picked up a high credit 2 day this month that paid 18. Guarantee was 85 for Feb. so I started the month at 103. Worked every day on rsv until this week and 3/4 trips triggered LCO. Sked pulled one 3 day off my schedule after I already was notified and gave me a completely different 3 day. Rsv guarantee was 18, that trip pays 40 so add 22 to the 103 just for that weekend. Adds up over the month. LCO adds do not count for the cap either.

UAL guys can chime in on how to work the cba on rsv to boost credit.

 

Are you talking about TFP or credit hours?

 

Credit here is all in tfp. 140 tfp is roughly 120 hrs. 85 tfp guarantee for Feb is 74 hr credit.

 

Yeah—my comment was mainly making the point for anyone else reading. When everyone looks at those numbers, they think you are talking credit like every other airline does.

 

I just look at it all as a cost unit so I don’t have to constantly convert back and forth.

it all works out in the end. Work rules are how the $ is made at both places.

 

Historically at UAL we’ve treated RSV as a necessary evil to be bid away from at the first opportunity rather than a very effective money making game. Comparisons like this underscore that point. No RSV day off pickups at UAL. Closest thing we have is called a VDO which is like trading off days for RSV days. It can pay well but it’s at the company’s discretion & they really don’t like doing it so it’s pretty unreliable.

Some contractual improvements coming in August will make it a little easier for RSVs to bump up their pay, but in general to make a big paycheck on RSV you have to work a lot.

 

Something else United pilots didn't want or don't care for, and that is the ability to trade between line holders and reserves. Southwest pilots can trade between line holders and reserves. It helps junior commuters and those who live in base who may be senior but may want to stay home. One can pick up reserve blocks from open time as well regardless if you're a line holder or reserve. I've made a killing doing this during COVID and MAX grounding when people were picking up everything at straight.

Lots and lots of ways to play the game at Southwest and inflate your check - it's not just limited to high season and holiday flying or getting lucky to get paired up with a check airman.

Some senior people here have caught on to the concept and our RCO has some pretty senior people on reserve and with some changes to our contract, it just may make reserve more attractive because the company can no longer split up or export a trip if there are legal premium bidders in base.