Albief15

If had a load of OTP to burn--which I have had a few times here….but wanted to make sure I got "my" charter, it would seem to me that I would need some help in two places…

First…rather than spend hours and hours and hours hitting refresh on the screen if I could just get ONE little clue as to when to be ready to hawk open time for a drop of some good trips or X pairings and….

Second…if I could have someone slow leak the trade processing so that even if someone did happen to magically see "my" charter and try to pick it up before I could, my OTP would trump their time stamp….

then, my friend, I would be an international charter flying M**********r, or "Wolf Pack" guy, whatever you call it.

I have in fact gotten a few nice trips with OTP, but even WITH that incredible cosmic voodoo I STILL didn't get that many trips. I have had OTP expire into regular makeup several times. I would miss a charter drop, or by the time I saw a trip and tried to get it with OTP it was already gone to someone else….on regular makeup. In short--OTP is cool--but a friend on the inside helping is even better.

Find the scheduling link, and you've solved the problem. Real time trip trading might solve the second part of the equation, but until you find the get rid of any insider info there is still a very uneven playing field.

FDXLAG

Exactly, for me the only time OTP has seemed to work was when they quit processing open time during the AM reserve assignment/sick call window. To use OTP outside that window you either need to be very lucky or dating a scheduler.

fdx727pilot

I asked a block rep on my Jumpseat about this. He says one of the MEC members tried this, to see how it was supposedly working. According to him, if you drop the trip, OTP is not restored.

Nitefrater

What do you think of a solution along these lines:

OTP loses the "priority" part. Select OTP and the hours go into gen makeup. The 25% bonus goes into your paycheck whether or not you ever fly the makeup.

This opens the way for… Real time trip trading for bid pack trips. First come first served.

Charters and Extras get dealt with as follows: If there's more than 3 days to show time, the extra trip sits in open time for at least 24 hours. Less than 3 days to show, it sits in open time on sliding scale down to the minimum time for assignment. This gives the largest number a chance to put in for it. From those who put in for the charter/extra, the trip is assigned based on charter/extra "leveling" hours over the last year.

Obviously this requires a CBA solution. Also, it doesn't fix the problem of a collaborating scheduler sitting on a charter until the last possible moment, and cuing the wolf pack at that time. Not sure how to fix that with the current wiring diagram.

CompetentFool

Wait, so all the OTP assumptions made on this thread are incorrect? You can't recycle OTP? Lakeside has already been tried and convicted based on OTP recycling by several posters. He was also guilty because he calendar was blocked. Damnit, what's next?

FDXLAG

You do realize that without the benefit of unlimited OTP the likelihood of picking up a 6 digit deviation bank is remote and collusion with a scheduler the more likely explanation.

mrzog2138

Competentfool, lakeside's ability to pick up the "good deal" trips is so far outside the standard deviation of normalcy that the only explanation is he has an advantage no one else does. He coming here posting that he is a "honest, hard worker" and playing the victim, is hard to swallow. Everyone does not expect to get a lot of good deal trips, but when someone has an entire couple of years full of them, you question it. I am talking almost every premiere good deal trip, Lakeside is either unavailable or flying it. I agree with Albie, something happened about 2 years ago. I am pretty sure the individual flying with him on his latest "good deal" has heard complaints about him. Wonder if anything was discussed on the layover?

Gunpig

I find this very interesting. I have spoken to a two individuals in the past 6 months who have done this themselves and they assure me it works. If the union is this sure of it then they should put out an email or even better have the company put out an FCIF.

The one thing recycling doesn't do is reset the two month clock on OTP expiration, maybe that is what the rep meant

Rock

Beat me to it.

Someone told me that one of the BOT techniques exploited a glitch that leaked charter trips somewhere in the FedEx intranet before they showed up on the schedule. The BOT would see the charter was coming and warn the BOT users to get online to pick it up. If you had a head's up that a good charter was about to be released everytime one was about to be released, you would have a much better chance of having your finger on the trigger when it showed up in open time. No collusion with any scheduler. No illegal ops with the actual open time request sequence in VIPS. Just perfect timing every time with your open time pick up request. Save your OTP requests for frozen trips that everyone can see so that you've got them beat no matter how fast they pull the trigger.

Gunpig

Agreed, if what fdx727pilot says is correct, then the problem is much worse. OTP recycling is unethical but completely legal per the contract. Having an insider or using malicious code Is defrauding everyone & heads should roll