That's what I was thinking, why would anyone sign up to voluntarily take a partial-month pay cut? If there are fewer block, all pilots fly less, right? That's why there's a line guarantee.

Asking guys to take a paycut so that other pilots can continue to max out their monthly flying hardly sounds like the stuff unions are made of. We'll have to watch for that language in the JCBA.

 

At UAL you could drop to 50 hours a month. Not much different than your VRF program. Had a fair number of people who only wanted to work part time. Also offer 1 + 2 month LOA's. If you other things you want to do that being on reserve or working a line won't allow you to do it works.

Also wouldn't think that program would apply in the summer.

Sorry I don't see that as wrong.

 

It's completely voluntary, there are no minimum takers required, and if no one takes it then the line values for everyone are an hour or two less [correction--probably just a few minutes to an hour less] assigned during the normal bidding process, which is what would happen anyway. The only problem is the formula they're using. It seems that we're chronically understaffed, and just when we have about the right number during the low-hour months, we go understaffed again because of this program.

On the other hand, it can be very convenient if you're willing to take the pay hit. They offered it several Decembers ago and I asked for 24 to 30th off, got it, and was more than happy to spend the holidays with my family. For a junior pilot who cannot get a vacation week during the holidays, it was great.

Some of the senior pilots griped about the fact that someone junior to them had Christmas off while they didn't. Well, if you want Christmas off, you could have asked for it, too, but you didn't because you'd rather have a week's pay than spend a week with your family. Not my problem. You picked up open to time to put me, and keep me, furloughed so I'm not sympathetic to your plaint.

 

That is another case. Also, UAL's contract has/had a provision where you could get the entire bid month off but your line value dropped to 40? hours. Offered during reduced hour flying months. I used that one year and got all of Dec off.
Lot of reasons for people to take a pay hit to improve QOL if it's available.

 

Thanks for the clarification, schedule flexibility is a good thing as long as it's not forced on a pilot.

 

With PBS, if enough people bite on the "deal", the others may very well work more than they ever wanted to. The reserves will also likely fly more. Everything at an airline comes at someone's expense - this program seems to me to come at the expense of other pilots. I'd rather see the company deal with staffing as a cost of doing business rather than voluntarily varying pilot staffing costs on the backs of other pilots.

Just my .02.

PIPE

 

Two things that I have learned from the VRF. Most of the times is only goes to a few guys on the 737 and goes senior. But if there are several, the best part though is that you can get 11 days off and then pick up trips according to your schedule. As a junior guy, weekends and holidays can be nice to have and you can still bump up your earnings for the month, if you wish to.

 

Fair view, in the example someone else gave if they didn't have this program line value would drop from 73 to 71.
Every other line built would lose a turn during the month pilots would likely work the same number of days. When UAL used the same program and I was on reserve my schedule wasn't any different. Worked my tail off summer and holidays, got to come up for air the rest of the time. As one coming to CO in Oct, a easier reserve life would be great.
My .02

 

That's worth more than two cents.

 

Not sure if you mean pickup of trips during the VRF or not. Used to be you could, but again the senior folks whined (how come guys junior are flying better trips than me?) and that option was taken away. Advertised pickups only, please.