Guys, I don't want to keep interfering in your part of the forum but there's an awful lot of "duff gen" popping up about the BA bidding system, so if you'll indulge me one more time (and BaronBlue I apologise before I start - I'm not about to pick on you in particular, it's just that your post contains some comments that highlight what seem to be a couple of common misconceptions). I'm going to attempt Bidline 101 (Long Haul version) and precis the relevant bits of a several hundred page document into one post:
The point system being referred to I believe is the company 'cap' i.e. the assigned monthly hours - if your bid line is above the monthly 'cap' the company removes flights and puts them in open time. You can then pick up these extra trips for some extra ££ I believe should you so wish. Not sure if you can ditch flights of your choosing If you accumulate extra in your 'bank'.
Firstly very important "point of order": There is no such animal as a "bid line". After the first run of bidding (Stage 1) you will either get:
1. A Reserve line ( standby, available days, etc).
2. A Blindline ( where your roster is at the mercy of the company, though if you go to the 744 you will see a single "seeded" trip, other trips are added later.)
or:
3. A Tripline - a line with some trips on it but quite possibly not enough hours to make CAP - which is why I've asked previously if people making lifestyle comments were looking at the Stage 1 Triplines or Final final Rosters - there can be a heck of a difference, as I'll now try to explain..
If you have a Tripline that makes CAP that's it, sit back and hope you don't get caught later in the process.
If you have a below CAP Tripline post Stage 1 then if you are below CAP -15 you will have to bid at stage 2 to get more work, if you are above CAP -15 and you have banked hours to cover the shortfall you have a choice - either bid for more work or sit back, do nothing and hope etc......
After Stage 2 is complete as a Tripline holder hopefully you've got your final roster in your hand...........however following changes over the last year or so
after Stage 2 the company can re jig your line with no input from the pilot and put extra trips on it to cover unallocated work. Most importantly that can happen
regardless of whether you are above the CAP or not, regardless of whether you have hours in the bank or not.
As a result these days quite a few pilots are picking up their "Final final Rosters" a week or two after Stage 2 has finished and saying "Hey, WTF did that trip/those trips come from!!!!" It's a big problem in shorthaul but it is also happening to some on Long Haul - and it is causing major grief for people trying to organise their personal lives outside of leave..which I guess might sound familiar.
if your bid line is above the monthly 'cap' the company removes flights and puts them in open time.
No, no, no, no............definitely not true.
Guys, if your final final roster is above CAP, the company will not just say, "Oh Dear, better take some work off you", they will say, "it's legal, you got it, you work it". The only way out is to try trade in the trip against any banked hours you have but the company will only allow that if they think they will have spare pilots on the day - so it's something you request and then you keep fingers crossed it's granted, it's not a right.
There is an option to pick up unassigned work for cash from open time but with so many guys getting close to FTL limits and the restictions of EASA it's not something to plan on doing every month.
Blindlines are handled differently in that your roster is written by the company pretty much after everybody else has had their pick of the work. You
may end up below CAP, but you don't lose pay, OTOH you may end up above CAP (I think the max is CAP +4), in which case the hours above CAP are I believe paid as cash (within certain limits). Some of the Blindline credit may not be trip credit, it may be generated by nominated days where you have to be available for duty (notified of which the previous evening).
But after posting all the above the
really really important point: Following negotiations involving our allegedly strong Union and then a ballot "Bidline", (i.e. the system) is being junked, perhaps by the end of next year....anyone joining shortly will spend most of their career being rostered under JSS and and how that will work is anybody's guess.
Apologies for the long post, hope that doesn't offend anyone, hope it is of some help to some.