Minimum monthly hours
 

I just dropped a trip over the 4th of July, and I am now sitting at about 45 hours for the month of July. In my new hire class about a year ago, I remember something about the minimum number of hours that you needed to work each month before something happened. What is the number and what happens? Can I work 20 hours, no problem? I'm going to pick something up in July to get back up to about 70, but just trying to educate myself. Where is this addressed in the contract? I have spent a lot of time looking.

How the heck did you drop a trip? It would of had to be a 25 hour trip because I doubt any lines were constructed too far below 70 hours. Depending on how you dropped this trip, you are only gonna get paid 45 hours for the month.

20-P-1-h Without Company concurrence, a schedule modification request shall be denied if it causes the sum of the Lineholder's Flying Hours and Nonflying Hours, as defined in Section 5-B-2-b, to be below fifty (50) hours.

I dropped a trip because I enjoy drinking beer, going to the beach and shooting fireworks every 4th of July. The trip I dropped was a 24 hour trip and I didn't want to work over the 4th of July. There are plenty of trips on open time in July that I can pick up that are not over the 4th of July.

The question is: Does the company care? What if I dropped another trip and only worked 22 hours in July?

I understand that I only get paid for what I work, but my understanding is that the company wants you to work a minimum number of hours. I don't know what that number is, but I think it is around 50.

He asked how, not why. We totally get why. I haven't gotten a trip drop in probably a decade. Wow. Nicely done!

Scott

There used to be something about not getting the "pay advance" on the 1st of the month if your credit was below a certain threshold. You still get paid for the full credit, but it comes in one check, on the 15th of the month following. Not sure if that is still in effect or it it matters to you that there wouldn't be a paycheck on the first of the month.

Honestly, I'm surprised you were allowed to drop below 50 .. they must be fat on manpower in your fleet /seat.

Oh. I stand by my statement about drinking beer and going to the beach.

I just dropped it. I did it this past Nov also, then picked up another trip right away. I think we are pretty fat on DCA A320 FOs. Lots of changes are supposedly happening.

APC225, I saw that section also and didn't think they would let me drop it either. I guess that them letting me drop it was "concurrence", right?

Yup. I've got a buddy who is a DCA 737 FO who was able to drop his entire month recently and pick up trips closer to home. I couldn't even comprehend what he was talking about when he told me.

Being able to drop trips after the schedule comes out is great. Junior guys (me) can make a good schedule into a great schedule. It provides you with a lot of flexibility.

Crew Companion works well and makes it easy to move things around. I have traded trips every month that I have had a line. All 4 of them.

Proof positive. They let you go below fifty by processing your trades. However, that can cut both ways. Will it affect medical benefits, LTD, insurance, etc? Is there any fine print saying these benefits are suspended if one "voluntarily" falls below a work-hour threshold and perhaps be considered a part time (no benefits) employee. Dropping trips is voluntary. A PDR might be something to consider.

This used to be standard under the old line system, before PBS. Absences (vacation, jury, training) were loaded AFTER monthly schedules were awarded. Yeowza. Tons of open time. It was SOP to be sitting in front of a computer when the trip trade window opened to change your entire schedule. Thirty percent reserves and after the sifting was done all that was left in open time was Caracas red eyes and trips with scabs.

Oh yeah, the fine print is why I am asking. I have searched the contract for hours and was not able to find anything that says what will happen if you go below 50. I think I remember during indoc something about you having to pay part of LTD and insurance if this happens, but I don't remember.

My intention is that I will pick up another trip, but if there are nothing but overnighters and MEX trips, maybe I won't. Unless the company makes it painful to do so.

I took a full-month COLA last year and my benefits were uninterrupted. I asked the company and union if I needed to do anything and a single month off didn't seem to affect benefits. It seemed like if there were enough funds to payroll deduct for the benefits they were fine with it.

I looked through the Benefits site but didn't see any info pertaining to this.

That's great that you got a trip drop...now if every base and seat had the ability to do that, then we would have a true trip trading system. Enjoy the 4th...and as Capt Stoops pointed out...I get WHY the drop...I didn't understand the HOW.

I second that. I have been able to straight drop trips many times this year and go back into Crew Companion and pick up better QOL trips.

I Dropped to 90 hours in June but will be back to normal next month ����

Go away Troll.

That was tongue in cheek, doesn't make me a troll but makes you kinda a b&tthole.....

Gotta be a staffing issue that is working out in your favor. Take advantage of it while you can for sure. I will say it isn't considered "normal" by any stretch at the new United to be able to drop trips (it really wasn't at the old United once unimatic tt went away)

Once normalized, that "perk" will go away. Therein lies the problem. The company controls not only the staffing and reserve coverage but also all parameters of the trip trade system. They hold the cards. I have only had luck trading same day, same number of days and an earlier departure.

Scott

I had a terrible schedule in July, so I went on Sr Manning. I figure it can only help and maybe get rid of some of my bad trips. We will see.

Just flew with another FO 756 EWR who dropped his entire July except for one Europe 3 day. Some were taken by other pilots but two of his four days went into open time.

"The company controls not only the staffing and reserve coverage but also all parameters of the trip trade system. They hold the cards."

Of course they do and the reason is so they can reliably staff the airline and sell transportation. How do you think it would look if each flight was open to the whims of we pilots.