Iron Skillet-
I'm looking at PD out of ANC instead of the company PD to LAX, so ANC to the Southeast. I don't know if ZED fares can be reimbursed, my understanding has always been that we need confirmed tickets in lieu of the company travel to be reimbursed.
That being said, I'm looking at full fare because I actually want to get home. I spent 2007-2011 commuting to LA, until I took the MIA preferred port. I always bought confirmed fares outbound, and I gave up trying to use ZED fares to get home in 2008. That was when the US carriers really started to shrink domestic capacity. I was buying full fare tickets in the gate area, no matter the day of the week, because I couldn't get on. I can think of very few flights that weren't chock-a-block full during the period I was buying tickets and doing that commute. The routine announcement "Ladies and gentlemen, this flight is completely full, so please stow only one bag in the overhead...blah, blah, blah." Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday...didn't matter. So I'd be mad to try to ride home from either ANC or LAX on a pass, and this is a Sunday coming up.
I am looking at advance fares, which is why I posted this right after the roster came out. Then I have to consider non-refundable or not. I've paid my fare share of 150 dollar change fees due to roster changes and delays. It used to be the company tickets were well in excess of my PD travel (so I could buy refundable), but the ANC-LAX isn't worth much and US fares have been steadily increasing. But there isn't anything close to 150 dollars at any rate. There may well be to JFK, but not to Florida.
In regard to extra credit and extra days off, I compared my last typical roster prior to July to August. I had leave May, June, and July, so I had to look at April.
April- Two trips, all in and out of MIA. One seven days in length, one six days in length. One PX sector from ANC to MIA on one of the trips. One "A" day. 80.42 hours credit.
August- Two trips, both start in MIA, one finishes in MIA, the other in my LAX base. One five days in length, one six days in length. One block of four "A" days. One PT sector from ANC to LAX. Credit hours 80.59.
Nothing has changed. The PX sector to MIA has been replaced by a PT to LA to keep me below guarantee, which is pretty much how its always been. It hasn't resulted in me operating that last sector or getting paid any more. There is one less day off in August with "A" days considered. From the other East coast based guys I flew with in July this is pretty much what they have done to most people. Where people had that one PX sector home per month its been replaced by a Y class PT with a hub stop. I predicted this would be the pattern in another thread. What I didn't anticipate was that they would pull the Alaska Airlines first class agreement to make sure we got Y class everywhere. Touche.
IF this eventually results in getting full credit for freighter PX that will be a benefit, but in the short term its a significant hardship for many.