Smooth at FL450

Only way LCO drops is if the disruptions only occur in base and with enough warning to get a reserve to the airport. As long as life happens at out-stations, the reroutes will continue.

RJSAviator76

Scheduling partly can't help themselves or the situation, and also this is what you get with 800+ aircraft all of same type, and 11,500 pilots all flying the same equipment. Stuff will break, storms will distrupt, chaos will break out and all of it will pay, and all on top of the rigs.

This contract has something for everyone... a player, a commuter, a lazy guy, a hustler, and everything in between. It's on us to learn to maximize whatever we want to maximize. I have no doubt people will still manage to credit some big numbers. Last month, I came up just short of 200 TFP on 81.5 hours of block somewhat playing the game, but mostly chasing destination trips. I've had some luck in POT even as a junior cappy. On another side of the fence, so far my record is 78 TFP in unused reserve days. This place is really what you make of it.

Along the same lines, even in overstaffing, the OT game won't die. Here are some beauts:

- POT before Reserve is a thing even if we're sitting rather fat on reserves cooling their heels. Keeps POT going even in lean times.

- Scheduling can no longer reserve shop around the system if there are legal premium bidders for it in base. Again, keeps POT going even in lean times.

- ETOPS reserve in LAS now means you get to hang out at home - very low chance of getting used on crap CONUS trips, especially if people keep bidding most of Hawaii flying at straight.

A reserve trip can now REALLY blow up, especially when they do manage to export it and they just throw a DH back to base the last day, and best of all, it doesn't get absorbed by the rig.

We'll see what happens this fall, but I don't think it'll be nearly as bad as some of the naysayers are predicting.

e6bpilot

I have been saying this to everyone who will listen. Will it be tighter than normal? Sure. Is it the end times? No. Still plenty of opportunity to game the system and make some cheddar. The extreme outliers (150 TFP average plus) will have a harder time, but even they aren't going to starve. The work rule and pay improvements in this contract are worth much more than the rates.

SlipKid

I've had a 45 minute commute for the last 5 years. Life changing after 18 years of 3-5 hours drive and 10 years of airplane commuting prior to that.

I do pick up the occasional reserve block, and often get to sit, but lately, the reserve manning in MCO is really thin, so it's not the slam dunk sit home I hear happens in other bases. I don't think I've ever ended an unassigned reserve block further down the RCO than 1 or 2.

I don't bid entire lines of reserve for a variety of reasons.

I am bidding in the high 20s (+/-7%) in domicile (3% company wide) and constantly have folks senior to me sitting higher on the RCO. IMHO, the juice is not worth the reserve squeeze most of the time. I'd rather clear my board and walk up to the cap with premium. Barring that, I'll pick up a 2 or 3 day reserve block early in the month, or easy trips out of giveaway and very occasionally, straight open time.

I am not trying to hit the tfp totals out of the park. I just want to get paid as much as possible for every second of a$$ pain that this job has become, the least number of days per month.

WHACKMASTER

Same. $ per day at work ratio is all that really matters to me. I love reading the gamesmanship stories. If there was ever an airline to “play the game”, it’s here. Does anyone else cringe when they fly with an “I just fly my line” person?

Smooth at FL450

Nope. that's one less person to compete with for the good stuff.

WHACKMASTER

You’re absolutely right. Still, I want to pull my hair out when I hear that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

e6bpilot

It does baffle me. I bat way above my seniority and my life and bank account are better for it. I come to work for two reasons - to make money and I forgot the other one. Punish me while I am here and leave me the heck alone when I am home.
Anyone who flies their line (unless they are flying only turns and able to bid them) is giving away money and time for no good reason other than because it's easier.

SlipKid

To each his own.

I view just flying my line as not cooking on all burners, leaving time off and money on the table.

That said, it's definitely a grind to clear the board month after month, then spend the rest of the month rebuilding it with more pay per time spent at work.

Cyio

This. It's often the more senior guys/gals that are doing the game correctly because even at about two years in, I can't clear my board for ****, at least not the flying in my base; perhaps other bases are different. In addition, it's stressful to wonder about your pay even when you clear it because it seems I am awarded a much lower premium than I think I should. If I had 20 years, 1000 sick trips, and five weeks of vacation here with a few million in the bank, I would be much more willing to gamble, but to say that "flying the line" is cringe is a tad shortsighted, in my opinion.