Sorry for butting in but the rose tinted glasses need taking off.
Bid Line Rules gives transparent rosters to 80% of pilots. At the end of a 2 week process when the top 80% have bid once to achieve a trip line and then a second time to fill in any gaps, the rubbish that no-one wants is then allocated to the bottom 20% and is called a Blind Line. No-one wants to work weekends, so essentially if you are in that bottom 20% you will work every weekend (apart from leave) until you move out of that bottom 20%.
On a plus side, if you only work weekends you will work less hard overall with all your time off mid week. If you have any desire to do anything at a weekend you need to have at least 6 months notice so you can book a weeks leave over that date (not always successful), otherwise you are screwed.
If you have a family or an active weekend social life, you really are going to have to compromise everything until enough people have been recruited below you. If you dare complain about the system you will be treated like a pariah by the senior who will claim they were screwed by it so why shouldn't you. Rather like consultants who play golf on friday whilst the junior doctors do their 70 hour weeks. When you do fly with them, they will harp on about how hard done by they are having to go to JFK on a Sunday
Oh, and if you're
not doing a Blind Line you do Reserve. 21 days at the behest of BA. The system makes you do it 3 times more than someone who has 10 years in the company. Once again because the rules say so and if you complain you are called selfish.
Bid Lines Rules is only fair once the rosters are published. Before that, it is like an Indian caste system.
All objections to my candid description originate from people who are involved in recruitment. I guarantee it!