The SWAPA Ride Report: Scheduling Handbook Highlights and Pro Tips for Open Time Priority and Vacation Overlap

This week, host Captain Matt McCants gives us the high points of the newly released Scheduling Handbook – a must have in a Pilot’s tool box to resume own navigation through the new CBA. He also covers how much error pay and fixed audit pay have been recovered by SWAPA since date of ratification. 

The Q&A this week has topics ranging from online legality changes to some great techniques to maximize your opportunities in Open Time Priority and Vacation Overlap. How can you boost your TFP? Take a listen and find out.

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Transcript

Welcome back to the SWAPA Ride Report for Friday, May 10th, 2024.  

The SWAPA Ride Report is your source for headlines, updates, and answers to frequently asked questions regarding your new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  

 I’m your host, Captain Matt McCants from SWAPA Communications.  

Let’s start by saying that it is with great pleasure we welcome the Schedule Research Committee’s new Scheduling Handbook. There are some absolutely fantastic tools in here that should help make the avalanche of new terms and rules a lot easier to apply when you’re on the line. From CWA snapshots of which overrides apply and why, to some examples of how the new CBA provisions are applied on reserve, there’s something for everyone here regardless of whether you’re a new hire or tournament level player. 

 You can now download this word searchable PDF to your mobile device until we get it integrated into the re-vamped SWAPA app, which will go into beta testing this summer. Think of it as your quick reference guide for all things scheduling, and as more parts of the CBA get implemented, you can expect this document to grow and get updated as well.  

 Between the SWAPA Pay Audit tool, Annotated CBA, and now this Scheduling Handbook, there are some really great and all-encompassing resources out there to help guide you through the new contract.     

 Speaking of, double check that you’ve got the most recent version of the Annotated CBA, dated May 10th, 2024 as one of those go-to references while the CBA gets updated and tweaked.  

 On the personal finance front, some of you might be wondering how much error pay and fixed audit pay has been recovered since date of ratification. As of today, it’s just north of $650,000, that number is just over $2.5 million in the last 12 months. And that’s thanks to the hard work of the contract amin staff that you’ve undoubtedly spoken to over the phone or on email at contractadmin@swapa.org. To help them help you, here’s your checklist before contacting them about a pay question: Step 1: Check your payroll report. Step 2: Wait for the company to audit the pairing – there appears to be quicker than average turnaround time on this of late and Step 3: Run the SWAPA Pay Audit tool. If you still think there’s an error, by all means, reach out and we’ll get it squared away.  

 On a related note, there’s been some headway made on the hotel vetting processes, so let’s get caught up on what SWAPA and the CAB are actively working on a weekly basis. The big picture issues like long/short parameters, common transportation issues, and exemption requests are among some of them. This is part of a comprehensive city by city review as we strive to meet the letter and intent of what we’ve negotiated. As we’ve discussed, those data points captured by your crew rest submissions are contractually shared, but here’s another avenue to get a point across if you run into a hotel issue: Believe it or not, the amenities list on the CrewHub app is not yet under the CAB’s control, but the amenities list on comply 365 is in their purview and SWAPA sees that data too. So keep the formal submissions coming if you encounter something different than what you were expecting on the amenities front – your Board of Directors is tracking this as well.  

 Now it’s been a couple of weeks since our last Q&A segment and there have been some good ones that the contract admin staff has fielded, so let’s take a look and throw on some pro-tips while we’re at it.  

 I was scheduled for my CQT next month. A week after I was assigned, LEAD Ops Scheduling changed my SIM to an earlier time. Am I due Leg Change Override for this change? 

 Yes you are. Section 2.O.1.f. provides LCO for SIM reassignments for CQT and ETOPS initial. So if this does happen to you, or think that it might have, make sure you take a look here and collect what’s yours if this applies.  

OK this is a good one about overlap correction: My month-to-month overlap correction caused my credit to fall below the Schedule Line Guarantee (SLG) and I am due Open Time Priority (OTP). The new CBA allows reserve blocks to be picked up in OTP, but am I required to take a reserve block if that’s all that fits my range? 

 So no. The reserve block can be offered by the company, but it is not required to be accepted. If there are no pairings that fit your range that you are legal for; you are still due a lower paying pairing that is guaranteed up to the low end of your range, or an LG non-fly to cover the low end of your range. A reserve block is now merely an option if you prefer that to a pairing. Section 9.M.7. is the reference here, and there’s also some very helpful techniques in the scheduling handbook on pages 98 and 99.  

 Now with the possibility of more pilots falling into this category with scheduling flexes this summer, how about some techniques of how you can use this OTP for some more options. If you prefer to have more space on your board, great. But don’t forget that if you find a pairing or pairings that fall within your range, but maybe still don’t meet your target TFP for the month, you can turn those pairings into higher paying ones in ELITT! Regardless of what you choose to do, keep the following timeline in mind: If you intend to exercise options, be sure to make the appropriate calls to Crew Scheduling for your OTP range and pairing selection prior to 12:00 CST on the 22nd when OTP closes and the MOT award process begins.    

Let’s pivot to a re-route and crew duty day scenario: I was rerouted during my pairing yesterday and at the point of notification, the company had me operating beyond 12 hours. The new CBA limits top out at 12 hours of operation at the point of notification. The scheduler insisted that I was legal and that these new duty day and rest legalities were not yet implemented. Is that correct? 

Yes. Section 12.D. and most of 12.F. has a deadline for implementation of Sept 30th, 2024. However, if you ever have a question on whether something is legal, don’t hesitate to ask dispatch, crew scheduling, and of course contract admin.  

Now this one is a good scenario about vacation blocks going into the following month: I have a vacation block in June that spans into July. In order to avoid vacation pay legality issues and possible loss of extra pay; do I have to wait until  after July vacation overlap drops off my board to pick up flying out of TTGA that conflicts with the vacation? 

 Ok a lot going on here, but no. So let’s break it down: Vacation pay should be dictated by the awarded line and your vacation preference. The company will not consider modification to the original schedules via TTGA, ELITT, or open time, when they consider illegalities for month to month vacation overlap. Only the original bid awards for June and July will be compared for illegalities. Any scheduling adjustments you make outside of that will NOT affect your vacation pay.  

 So, big picture, if you’re trying to maximize your pay during this overlap period, I would make sure my original June and July awards deconflict for FAR legalities. Now you are free to adjust your schedule with pairings that touch any part of your vacation, knowing they are deconflicted with those original vacation awards.   

 The TTGA/ELITT pick up will stay intact, so you shouldn't expect any modification to what you acquired in that overlap process. Sections 2.T. & 14.F.3 spell out all the details, and yes, there’s some plain language on this in the new Scheduling Handbook starting on page 167.  

 
That wraps up the big news and Q&A this week. As always, if there’s something you want to hear more about on the show, please drop us an email at comm@swapa.org.  

  And thanks again for joining this week’s ride report. The next episode will drop on May 24th, and if you missed anything, this transcript will be on the Podcast Page under the Communications tab on the SWAPA website.  

Fly safe, fly informed.