Jaww

Whoa whoa whoa. We get an extra instance if we win the sick contest? As in I can use an IVD 3 different times. How did I miss that?

crewdawg

4 times if your category got both days. Also, it tells you the number of occasions you have on your time card.

NuGuy

DAL has a number reserves for each day that it thinks it needs, but it's a calculus problem that the computer runs, based, among other things, historical usage, number of open duty periods and how close you are to the report date. If you're swapping a trip, the days for the trip you are swapping out of (dropping) has to either have adequate reserve coverage or "less bad" reserve coverage, and there is some math involved with that as well depending on the circumstances (holiday/not holiday).

By and large though, since it is all automated, it usually runs pretty well, and most people I know who are "active schedule managers" use swap with the pilot very, very effectively. The DAL system splits schedule changes into automated and not automated, and it switches at 0700 the second day prior to the trip, although some functions continue to 0700 the day prior (drops and swaps). Before that time, swaps, adds (called white slips) and drops (including reserve off days) are all run automatically 4 times per day. After 0700 second day, the trip coverage switches to what they call "manual coverage", which can be it's own thread.

For any other new folks who might be reading, the other important thing to understand is the pilot to pilot swap board is unconnected to any parts of the automatic or manual trip coverage, and even though you put it into the same system, it runs on it's own and does it's own thing by it's own rules. The trip list in open time and the list on the swap board are completely unconnected with each other. You can put a drop request into PCS (pilot change schedule, technically the automated part of the scheduling system), and you can also put a drop request into the swap board. They run separately, with the big difference is PCS runs 4 times a day but the swap board runs in real time. I've put trips onto the swap board to drop in the crew lounge after a trip, and my phone buzzed as I was walking to my car that someone had already picked it up.

Are there times when things can get sort of locked down with your schedule? Yea, I suppose, but by and large, but things really have to get bolloxed up to get that point.

It's easy to miss unless you were around for TA2. It's hiding in the sick leave section. Section 14 K. 1 or 2 extra IVDs, depending.

Jughead135

Depends on how long the trips are. “Multiple rotations totaling no more than four consecutive days” is how the PWA phrases it. §23.I.10.c.2)

Tadertot

I tried dropping back to back 2 days with 3 IVD’s for 4 PCS runs and it did not work - needed to be 4 IVD’s, which I couldn’t do. Had to trade the 2, 2 days for a random 4 day so same footprint, 1 rotation vs 2 and it dropped on the same PCS run 🤷‍♂️

crewdawg

Nuguy, awesome explanation of our system. coryk something else to add to the posts above. Being too junior for reserve is a thing here (mostly WB, but I've had it happen), that should tell you what you need to know about our reserve.

Jaww

I was here for TA2 and I guess I totally missed that one. I know we got extra days but not extra instances. Crazy. But it’s moot, I haven’t been a sick winner in awhile.

nene

To piggy back a little, this is important because if you are trying to just get rid of a trip, if you put a personal drop in PCS it will show in open time as qualified (if there is not adequate reserve coverage). At the same time you should list the trip on the Pilot Swap Board, because pickups from the PSB are not held to the white slip limit so maybe someone out there wants the trip but it puts them just over the WS limit, they can't take it off the PCS Open time, but they can off the PSB.

DWC CAP10 USAF

You can if trip one ends in a red eye and trip two goes out later than night (back to back 2 day trips)...one APD/IVD on single calendar day.

FangsF15

I’ve never “won” the sick contest. Never even close.