SWA Bidding question?

[RyansDad]

I'm new here at SWA and still trying to figure out the bidding process...people came in during training and explained it to us but with all the other info being fire hosed its kinda lost somewhere. I have a hard line of flying for OCT in OAK....I want to spend as little time there as possible....I have put all my trips up on the drop trade page in hopes someone picks some of them up and I in turn pick up as much flying as possible where I would prefer to be flying....My question is how does the monthly open time work and the ELIT work? Whats your best advise for a new guy on how to maximize my QOL, Pay, and or both?.....thanks for any input....also is there a message board that we have on swalife or somewhere else like this that would be more useful for internal info? Thanks again

 

[Dr K Noisewater]

Is that you Duuhaasssnaych?

 

[bravodude]

First off its verry difficult to try and explain all of the bidding on this board. If you wan't send me a pm with your number and i will call you back and try and try and expalin it. Having said that here goes. When you drop trips try braking them up and not just droping them as whole trips. For example if you have a 3 day that on day1 goes back thru oak just drop the turn portion, it will make it easier for guys to pick up. Monthly open time opens on the 20 if you bid for open time out of base seniority is out the window, guys in base junior to you will be awarded flying prior to you. Elit opens on the 25 at 12 noon local base time.In elit there is ni seniority its everyone for themselves, you can trade up try and trade down and so on. I think and i could be wrong on this one but if you are OAK based you can only elit thru the oak base. My sugestion is to try and brake up as many trips as you can.(only the ones that go thru a domicile) then bid on as much opne time in the base that you want and go from there. even if nothing happens don't worry. Elit is open all month and then there is daily open time.
I have only scratched the surface there are guys here that now more than I ever hope to so take everything I said with a grain of salt.

 

[Mach 80]

Go to the SWAPA forum and ask.

http://www.swapa.org/

 

[Alcatraz]

Some guys could probably answer your question with a short novel.

I'll just add my two cents...

Since I'm assuming you don't live anywhere near OAK, I guess you'll want to pick up trips in other bases. Just remember, you get second year pay for OPEN TIME picked up, even if it's in another base. But OPEN TIME comes from the company, either through monthly open time (which closes on the 24th for next month), daily open time (which closes at 9am the day before the trip), and extra fly (where they call you after you sign up). You can pick up trips through GIVE AWAY, but since it comes from other pilots it pays first year rates.

The second year stuff is a big deal... since it's something like 70% higher pay, you don't have to work as much to make the same money. You could give away a nice four day and make as much with an otherwise crappy three day, IF you obtain the three day from open time.

And don't worry about having all your trips disappear and not getting paid... that won't happen... and if it did, you wouldn't have a problem picking stuff up.

Welcome to SWA, and good luck!