What're...?

Because block or better means you get paid for what the flight is blocked for or what you actually fly, which ever is longer.

Flight is blocked for 1 hour but it only takes you 45 minutes. Pay is 1 hour.

Flight is blocked for 1 hour but it takes you 1:30. Pay is 1:30. Life is good.

With out block or better you would only get paid for 1 hour in that last example even though you flew 1:30.
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Thanks guys, rigs sounds awesome. Question though, why do alot of people seem to make a big deal about Block or better then?
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Mostly rigs are based on schedule - if you run over flight or duty the rig may not pay out. Block or better ensures that you get paid for what you work if your flight time runs over.

Block or better is a big deal to a lot of people - but in the end it a) encourages non-customer friendly behaviour and b) mostly doesn't pay out. There are a lot of other QOL issues that can be addressed in a contract before block or better hits the top of the list, but hey, if it hits the top of the list it's nice to have.
 
I have to disagree on the customer service point. IMO, block or better is a safety net for things like de-icing and holds to make sure you're not flying for free. If you get in early, you get paid more than you flew. What customer DOESN'T want to get in early. Now, here, we DON'T have block or better, so we don't start getting paid again until 15 min past block. Basically, that means we're de-icing for free in the winter. IMO, THAT tends to lead to later flights b/c guys see "Well, we're gonna be 13 minutes late. Might as well taxi slow so we can get SOMETHING out of the deal." If we had block or better, that reasoning wouldn't even factor in to the equation.

We really need a duty rig over here since I rarely have a trip that DOESN'T have a 13-14 hour day, mostly with 2-4 hour airport sits. A duty rig would either get me paid for that time or force the company to use us more efficiently. Either one, I'm fine with.
 
Safety first. . .Customer service second. . . at least in my book.

One's definition of "Safety" is negotiable - and is an individual determination.

Keep it simple.
 
kellwolf said:
We really need a duty rig over here since I rarely have a trip that DOESN'T have a 13-14 hour day, mostly with 2-4 hour airport sits.
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I <3 the long airport sits! I get to socialize, meet new people, and there's always a quiet spot to go read!
 
mtsu_av8er said:
I <3 the long airport sits! I get to socialize, meet new people, and there's always a quiet spot to go read!
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You bite your tongue. Wipe that smile off your face Lloyd. You are supposed to be disgruntled. You're a regional pilot for crying out loud. I don't wanna hear about you enjoying your job ever again, you hear me?
 
mikecweb said:
You bite your tongue. Wipe that smile off your face Lloyd. You are supposed to be disgruntled. You're a regional pilot for crying out loud. I don't wanna hear about you enjoying your job ever again, you hear me?
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My bad - I am sorry for enjoying myself. I meant to say that it sucks having several hours to sit around and do nothing in between flights.

I promise, I will do my best to become disgruntled.

:D:D:D
 
Lloyd, I don't mind being stuck in an airport for 4 hours IF there's a valid reason. Keeping you there for 4 hours just you the 24 hour clock gets reset so they can schedule you more than 9 hours b/c you were on reduced rest is not a good reason.

Sorry if I sound disgruntled and bitter b/c I have better things to do with my time than sit in an airport 3 states away from my family for no good reason other than my company can't schedule efficiently.
 
Colgan is block or better...but the day we see duty rigs, well let's just say it will be a cold day in hell.
 
Seggy said:
I'll bet ya ten bucks that we will only get paid block starting early next year.
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Or you'll be introduced to the newest pay craze: trip values.

They're great ya know. You get paid the trip value (unless you go over it by 15 minutes) no matter what! They accomplish trip values by taking the average of the trip over the year. This works out just fine in the summer, when the block is 1:32 and the trip value is 1:30. In January, though, the block is 1:47 (15 extra for de-icing) and the trip value is, you guessed it, 1:30. So, you'll get paid 1:32 b/c you went over the trip value by 17 minutes. Oh, and don't race home at the end of a long, 14 hour duty day. You'll only wind up making that trip value go down in the end since if that's done too often, the average drops. We saw MEM-CHA drop a TON since it's a reduced rest overnight and people were trying to get to the hotel faster to get more rest. The company loves it b/c a) it's a fixed cost per flight (more or less) and b) they're getting their de-icing done for no pilot costs to them.

Our current push is to leave the trip values in, but get rid of the "15 minute rule." That way, if you go over trip value, you get paid for everything you fly over that. It basically turns it into block or better, but takes away the company's ability to conveniently reduce/raise block times to alter pay.
 
Years ago when Skywest could actually track every route they had, they would come up with an "historical block" for each run. No matter if, say, SLC-PIH is actually scheduled for 1:00, the historical block was :52 and that's what was reflected in the pay value. Fortunately they do pay block or better. Before the advent of OOOI reporting and integration, each good FO would track the times and submit a time sheet for anything over block, line by painstaking line.
 
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