United pilots contract, Section 11 — Vacations
11-A Vacation Accrual
11-A-1 A Vacation Year begins on the first day of the May Bid Period and ends on the last day of the April Bid Period.
11-A-2 New hire Pilots shall accrue one and one-sixth (1 1/6) days of vacation for each full Bid Period of continuous employment with the Company during the remainder of the Vacation Year starting on the date of their initial employment. The amount of vacation so accrued shall be taken in the Pilot’s first full vacation year, as adjusted by Section 11-D-1.
11-A-3 After the provisions of Section 11-A-2 have been complied with, Pilots shall accrue vacation in accordance with the following schedule:
| Completed Years of Service Prior to 1st Day of Vacation Year | Vacation Days Taken In That Vacation Year (Accrued in Previous Vacation Year), as adjusted by Section 11-D-1 |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 14 |
| 5 to 10 | 21 |
| 11 to 24 | 35 |
| 25 + | 42 |
Time spent on furlough shall be included when calculating completed years of service. Additionally, except as otherwise provided in Sections 12-A-2 (PLA) and 12-B-1 (MLA), time spent on a leave of absence that began on or after December 18, 2012 shall be included when calculating completed years of service.
11-A-4 Except as provided in Section 12 and in the case of work-related illness or injury, a Pilot on a leave of absence for a full Bid Period shall have his vacation accrual reduced by one-twelfth (1/12) for such full Bid Period.
11-B Pay Out at Time of Separation or Retirement
11-B-1 A Pilot who leaves the service of the Company shall be paid for all unused vacation, as of the date of separation of employment, that was accrued in the preceding Vacation Year.
11-B-2 A Pilot who leaves the service of the Company and who has a full year or more of service, as of the date of separation of employment, shall be paid for all accrued vacation in the current Vacation Year up to the end of the Bid Period preceding the date of separation, provided:
11-B-2-a The Pilot is not discharged for just cause, and
11-B-2-b The Pilot gives the Company at least ten (10) calendar days’ notice of intent to resign (does not apply to a Pilot who has reached the FAA Mandatory Retirement Age).
11-B-2-c When determining “all accrued vacation in the current Vacation Year up to the end of the Bid Period preceding the separation”, the Pilot’s completed years of service as of the date of separation shall be used to determine the number of accrued vacation days.
11-B-2-c-(1) For example, a Pilot whose twenty-fifth (25th) anniversary date is December 15 and who leaves the service of the Company on November 5 of the same year shall have accrued seventeen and one-half (17.5) vacation days prior to separation.
11-B-2-c-(2) For example, a Pilot whose twenty-fifth (25th) anniversary date is August 15 and who leaves the service of the Company on November 5 of the same year shall have accrued twenty-one (21) vacation days prior to separation.
11-B-2-d A Pilot who has reached the FAA Mandatory Retirement Age shall accrue vacation in the bid period the Pilot reaches such age.
11-B-3 When a Pilot reaches the FAA Mandatory Retirement Age, the Company shall make a contribution in accordance with Sections 22-A-1-j and 24-G-4 for up to a maximum of twenty-one (21) unused vacation days. The amount of the contribution shall equal the number of unused vacation days multiplied by the vacation pay specified in Section 3-F-1, multiplied by the Pilot’s hourly rate of pay as of their retirement date, and increased by the percentage specified in Section 22-A-1-a. Any unused vacation in excess of twenty-one (21) days shall be paid out as regular earnings in the retiring Pilot’s final paycheck.
11-B-4 When calculating pay in Sections 11-B-1, 11-B-2, and 11-B-3, above, Job Share Instructor/Evaluators will use the average of the rate they receive in their line assignment Bid Periods and the rate they receive in their Training Center Bid Periods
11-C Vacation Pay Value
of three and three-quarter (3.75) hours.
11-C-1 Starting in the 2024-2025 vacation year, each vacation day shall have a pay value of four and one-quarter (4.25) hours.
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11-D Vacation Awarding
11-D-1 The “Maximum Vacation Days” for a Pilot is his accrued vacation plus any vacation credit days granted in accordance with this Agreement, minus any vacation borrowed in accordance with Section 11-G.
11-D-1-a Vacation credit days granted in accordance with Sections 17-C-14, LOA 12-13 Section 2-E-1, and any other sections, by the last day of the November Bid Period shall be added to the scheduled vacation in the upcoming vacation year.
11-D-2 Maximum Vacation Days shall be rounded to the nearest whole day (e.g. 3.4 = 3; 3.5 = 4; 3.6 = 4).
11-D-3 A “Vacation Period” is a consecutive block of vacation days that are bid and/or awarded.
11-D-3-a A Pilot with an Annual Vacation Election of seven (7) or less vacation days shall be allowed one (1) Vacation Period.
11-D-3-b A Pilot with an Annual Vacation Election of eight (8) or more vacation days shall be allowed multiple Vacation Periods provided that all Vacation Periods shall be a multiple of seven (7) days (e.g., 7, 14, 21) unless the Pilot is bidding all remaining vacation days or the Pilot’s election is not divisible by seven (7) in which case the Pilot may bid the remainder as one (1) Vacation Period.
11-E Annual Vacation
11-E-1 A Pilot shall bid for annual vacation in the Category corresponding to his most recent vacancy or displacement award, as of the opening of the Vacation Election cycle, and that bidding Category shall not change due to subsequent vacancy or displacement awards. Annual vacation shall be awarded in seniority order within each Category.
11-E-1-a However, if a Pilot’s vacancy award is canceled in accordance with Section 8-F-3, or if a Pilot’s displacement award is canceled in accordance with Section 8-F-4, during the annual vacation bidding process, the Company and the SSC shall meet and agree on a process that allows the Pilot to elect to change his vacation bidding Category to the Pilot’s new Category resulting from the application of Section 8-F-3 or Section 8-F-4, as appropriate.
11-E-2 Annual Vacation Election
11-E-2-a Prior to the opening of the Primary bid cycle, a Pilot shall declare the number of vacation days he elects to bid during the annual vacation bid. This is known as the Pilot’s “Annual Vacation Election,” which shall not be less than the Minimum Annual Vacation Election as set forth in the chart directly below, unless that number is greater than the Pilot’s Maximum Vacation Days.
| Completed Years of Service Prior to 1st Day of Vacation Year | Minimum Annual Vacation Election |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 14 |
| 5 to 10 | 14 |
| 11 to 24 | 21 |
| 25+ | 21 |
11-E-2-b Unless the Pilot’s Annual Vacation Election equals his Maximum Vacation Days, his Annual Vacation Election shall be in multiples of seven (7) days. Should the Pilot fail to make such a declaration, his Annual Vacation Election shall default to his Maximum Vacation Days.
11-E-2-c A Pilot who will reach the FAA Mandatory Retirement Age in the upcoming Vacation Year shall have his Minimum Annual Vacation Election determined as follows:
11-E-2-c-(1) Zero (0) days if retiring in the May Bid Period; or
11-E-2-c-(2) The lesser of: (-1-) the Pilot’s Maximum Vacation Days or (-2-) seven (7) days if retiring in the June – August Bid Periods; fourteen (14) days if retiring in the September
– December Bid Periods; twenty-one (21) days if retiring in the January – April Bid Periods; and
11-E-2-c-(3) Such Pilot shall not be awarded annual vacation past his retirement date, even if this restriction means he is awarded an amount of vacation days less than his Minimum Annual Vacation Election, including zero (0) vacation days.
11-E-3 The Annual Vacation Bid and Award Process
Annual vacation shall be bid and awarded in three (3) cycles (i.e., Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary). Each cycle must be open for bidding at least seven (7) consecutive days. A Pilot shall be entitled to be awarded up to two (2) Vacation Periods in the Primary cycle. No Pilot shall be awarded more than three (3) cumulative Vacation Periods in the Primary and Secondary cycles. All remaining days in the Pilot’s Annual Vacation Election shall be awarded in the Tertiary cycle. A Pilot shall be allowed to preference a minimum number of Vacation Periods between any two (2) awarded Vacation Periods in any cycle (as allowed by seniority and availability).
11-E-3-a The Company may elect to change the dates in the chart below, but shall notify the SSC of any such changes. The Tertiary cycle must be awarded no later than March 23, unless otherwise agreed by the SSC.
| Event | Open | Close | Awarded/Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacation Election | January 9 | January 16 | January 18 |
| Primary Cycle | January 20 | January 30 | February 2 |
| Secondary Cycle | February 3 | February 13 | February 16 |
| Tertiary Cycle | February 17 | February 26 | March 1 |
11-E-3-b Vacation Weeks are the seven (7) day periods offered in the annual vacation bid and award process, and shall be numbered 1 through 52. Vacation Week 1 shall begin on the first day of the May Bid Period and Vacation Week 52 shall end on the last day of the April Bid Period. When the Vacation Year is 365 days, the 169th day shall not be used when constructing Vacation Weeks. When the Vacation Year is 366 days, the 169th and the 296th days of the Vacation Year shall not be used when constructing Vacation Weeks.
11-E-3-c For each Category, the minimum amount of vacation to be allocated for the Primary cycle shall be calculated as follows:
11-E-3-c-(1) Divide the aggregated Annual Vacation Election of all Pilots in the Category by seven (7), using normal rounding. For example, an aggregated Annual Vacation Election of 4483 divided by seven (7) equals 640.428 and rounds to 640.
11-E-3-c-(2) At least six percent (6%) of the result from Section 11-E-3-c-(1), using normal rounding, must be allocated to each Bid Period across Vacation Weeks with a starting date in that Bid Period. In the example above, there are 640 Vacation Weeks so each Bid Period
must have thirty-eight (38) Vacation Weeks (6% x 640 equals 38.4 rounded to 38). Each Vacation Week must have at least one (1) slot available for award.
11-E-3-d For the Secondary and/or Tertiary vacation bidding cycles, the Company may increase or decrease the allocation to any Vacation Week provided:
11-E-3-d-(1) The allocation of any Vacation Week cannot be increased if that increase would result in an out-of-seniority vacation award, and
11-E-3-d-(2) The total allocation of any Vacation Week shall not be decreased below the minimum requirement set forth in Section 11-E-3-c-(2).
11-E-3-e Each Vacation Period awarded shall reduce the allocation by a whole number of Vacation Weeks for each Vacation Week that is touched. For example, if Vacation Week 1 is May 1 - 7 and Vacation Week 2 is May 8 - 14 and the Pilot is awarded vacation for May 1- 8, the allocation of Week 1 and Week 2 shall each be reduced by one (1).
11-E-3-f Prior to the opening of the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary vacation bidding cycles the Company shall publish by Category the number of Vacation Weeks available for bidding for that cycle.
11-E-4 Monthly Vacation Bid and Award Process
11-E-4-a A Pilot may bid and be awarded monthly vacation (monthly vacation is bid and awarded on a Bid Period basis) based on his seniority in his Category as shown on the most recent staffing report. However, the Company shall not award a vacation that would conflict with any previously assigned Trip or activity.
11-E-4-b A Pilot with OE blocker days is not eligible to be awarded monthly vacation for that Bid Period. However, on a Category basis, the Company may waive this eligibility restriction for Pilots who do not require consolidation, except that a vacation award that would conflict with OE blocker days shall be denied. In addition, if consolidation is required, a Pilot is not eligible to be awarded monthly vacation in either of the next two (2) Bid Periods following the Bid Period in which the Pilot is scheduled to complete training.
11-E-4-c During the Vacation Year the Company must offer monthly vacation days for each Category equal to at least half of the Maximum Vacation Days that remained un-awarded after the annual vacation bid and award process.
11-F Changing or Canceling Awarded Vacation
11-F-1 Vacation Slides
A Pilot may elect to slide an entire block of consecutive annual vacation days up to three (3) days earlier than the starting date of the first Vacation Week or up to three (3) days later than the ending date of the last Vacation Week in accordance with the following:
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11-F-1-a A Pilot may not slide his vacation into a Holiday or into a conflict with any Trip or activity.
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11-F-1-b Vacation slides for the upcoming vacation year shall be accepted beginning March 23, unless a different date is agreed to by the Company and the SSC. Deadlines for submitting vacation slides are:
11-F-1-b-(1) A vacation slide that keeps the entire Vacation Period within a single Bid Period shall be submitted no later than 1200 CT on the third (3rd) day of the calendar month preceding the Bid Period, except that vacation slides that affect the first five (5) days of a Bid Period must be submitted no later than 1200 CT on the third (3rd) day of the second calendar month preceding the Bid Period. For example, a vacation slide for a vacation occurring in the July Bid Period must be submitted no later than 1200 CT on June 3, unless such slide affects the number of vacation days in the first five (5) days of the July Bid Period in which case it must be submitted no later than 1200 CT on May 3.
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11-F-1-b-(2) All other vacation slides shall be submitted no later than 1200 CT on the third (3rd) day of the second calendar month preceding the first affected Bid Period. For example, a vacation slide that moves vacation days from the August Bid Period to the July Bid Period, or vice versa, must be submitted no later than 1200 CT on May 3.
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11-F-1-b-(3) Vacation Slides Affecting the May Bid Period
11-F-1-b-(3)-(a) Vacation in the May Bid Period may not be slid back into the April Bid Period.
11-F-1-b-(3)-(b) A request for a vacation slide that moves vacation days from the April Bid Period to the May Bid Period shall be submitted no later than 1200 CT on February
3.
11-F-1-b-(3)-(c) A request for a vacation slide that moves vacation days from the May Bid Period to the June Bid Period, or vice versa, shall be submitted no later than 1200 CT on March 26.
11-F-1-b-(3)-(d) A request for a vacation slide that affects the first five (5) days of the May Bid Period but does not change the number of vacation days in the May Bid Period shall be submitted no later than 1200 CT on April 3.
11-F-2 A Pilot may bid to trade his annual vacation award with an available period during the monthly vacation and bid award process.
11-F-3 Except as provided in Section 11-F-4, a vacation award may only be changed with mutual concurrence.
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11-F-3-a Vacation that occurs in a Bid Period in which schedule awards have been made may be split up and moved in that Bid Period, or moved (part or all) to the next Bid Period, if schedule awards have been made for that next Bid Period, or moved (part or all) to the preceding Bid Period. Pro-ration of days off will be recalculated, if necessary. Vacation may not be moved to or from the current day, or to or from any preceding days.
11-F-3-a-(1) However, vacation may be moved from the current day to assign the Pilot a Trip that starts on the current day and begins at a location that is not an Equipment-Base for the Pilot’s Equipment.
11-F-4 Cancellation of Vacation Following a Change in Category
A Pilot who changes Category for any reason may only have the vacation cancelled if the vacation meets at least one (1) of the following conditions, provided the Pilot is informed of the cancellation no later than the time monthly vacation is awarded for the Bid Period in which the vacation occurs:
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11-F-4-a The LPA in the new Category for the Bid Period in which the vacation period starts is projected to be at or above eighty-two (82) Line Credit hours. This projection will be made prior to the opening of monthly vacation bidding for the Bid Period in question (e.g. Feb 28th for May vacation); or
11-F-4-b The Pilot requires training and the vacation start date falls between the start of scheduled training and the end of:
11-F-4-b-(1) the next Bid Period following the Bid Period in which the Pilot is scheduled to complete their training, if consolidation is required; or
11-F-4-b-(2) OE blocker days, if consolidation is not required; or
11-F-4-b-(3) scheduled training, if the Pilot does not have OE blocker days.
11-F-4-c If the Company elects to cancel vacations within a Category under the provisions of this Section 11-F-4, all affected Pilots in the Category must be treated the same.
11-F-5 Protected Vacation
11-F-5-a A Pilot with a vacation award that would otherwise be cancelled in accordance with Section 11-F-4 may designate any one (1) Vacation Period (containing a contiguous block of up to fourteen (14) days) that will not be cancelled. The Pilot shall make this designation prior to the third (3rd) business day following the vacancy award.
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11-F-5-b A Pilot with a vacation award that would otherwise be cancelled in accordance with Section 11-F-4 as a result of training for their first Captain Category may designate any two (2) Vacation Periods (each of which may be up to fourteen (14) contiguous days in length) that will not be cancelled. The Pilot shall make this designation prior to the third (3rd) business day following the vacancy award.
11-F-6 Voluntary Cancellation of Vacation
On a Category basis, the Company may offer and individual Pilots may voluntarily accept, the cancellation of an annual vacation award. Except during a period where any Pilot is on Involuntary Furlough, the Company may additionally offer one hour and fifteen minutes (1:15) of Add Pay per day of vacation cancelled as incentive for voluntary cancellation of vacation. Voluntary cancellations shall be granted in seniority order. However, the Company shall not grant the voluntary cancellation of any Pilot's annual vacation award if the number of days to be cancelled when subtracted from the number of vacation days the Pilot was awarded during the annual vacation award process yields a number less than the Minimum Annual Vacation Election as set forth in Section 11-E-2-a.
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11-F-7 Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, vacation canceled pursuant to the provisions under Section 11-F shall be available for the Pilot to bid in monthly vacation bidding and awarding.
Any canceled vacation days that remain un-awarded at the end of the Vacation Year, shall be treated in accordance with Section 11-H.
11-G Vacation Trip Drop
11-G-1 At the discretion of the Company, based upon its evaluation of available manpower, a Pilot may be allowed to drop a Trip(s) with pay and reduce their available vacation from their next vacation year's accrual. Next vacation year's accrual is that vacation earned in the current vacation year to be taken in the following vacation year; except that Trips dropped in the December through April Bid Periods shall be reduced from vacation earned in the following Vacation Year. The Company shall not establish different staffing parameters for vacation drops made in accordance with this Section 11-G versus unpaid Pilot drops.
11-G-2 Such Trip drop shall be requested and administered in the same manner as Absent No Pay. The decision to use vacation days for the Trip drop must be made by the Pilot at the time the request is granted.
11-G-3 A Pilot assigned to a Line of Flying shall receive pay equal to the pay value of the Trip dropped. A Reserve shall receive five and one-quarter (5:15) hours of pay for each reserve duty day dropped.
11-G-3-a For Lineholders, vacation days used shall correspond to hours of pay for the Trip dropped, not to the number of days within the Trip dropped. For example (assuming the 2024- 2025 vacation year), a Trip with a pay value of 10:38 would require the use of two and one- half (2.5) vacation days (each with a pay value of four and one-quarter (4.25) hours) to cover the 10:38 pay value (2.5 x 4:15 = 10:38).
11-G-3-b For Reserves, vacation days used shall correspond to the total pay value of the reserve days dropped as set for in Section 11-G-3, not to the number of reserve days dropped. For example (assuming the 2024-2025 vacation year), a Reserve drops three (3) reserve availability days with a pay value of five and one-quarter (5:15) hours per day for a total pay value of fifteen hours and forty-five minutes (15:45). This would require the use of 3.71 vacation days (each with a pay value of four and one-quarter (4.25) hours) to cover the pay value of fifteen hours and forty-five (15:45) (3.71 x 4.25 = 15.75).
11-G-4 Lineholder requests shall be considered within the Trip Trading process; however, it is recognized that, because of better ability to forecast on a short-range basis, as well as changing requirements, later requests may be granted after earlier requests were denied. Reserve requests shall be considered on a first-come-first-serve basis.
11-G-5 A vacation drop(s) may be allowed which exceeds the Pilot's vacation year’s accrual, as defined in Section 11-G-3, as of the time of the drop; however, should the Pilot later leave the Company before earning enough vacation to cover this drop(s), the value of the drop(s) shall be deducted from his last paycheck and/or from other monies owed the Pilot by the Company.
11-G-6 With mutual concurrence between the Company and the Pilot, the days associated with a vacation drop that was administered through the automated trip-trade system may be split up and/or moved in that Bid Period, except that such days may not be moved to or from the current
day, or to or from any preceding days. Any days so moved shall continue to count as work days for purposes of MDO compliance.
11-G-6-a However, vacation may be moved from the current day to assign the Pilot a Trip that starts on the current day and begins at a location that is not an Equipment-Base for the Pilot’s Equipment.
11-H Vacation Forfeiture
11-H-1 Any vacation days that remain unawarded at the end of the Vacation Year shall be forfeited. As soon as possible, but no later than June 16th following the Vacation Year, the Company shall make a contribution in accordance with Sections 22-A-1-j and 24-G-4 for any Pilot who has forfeited vacation. The amount of the contribution shall equal the number of forfeited vacation days (up to a maximum of twenty-one (21) days) multiplied by the amount specified in Section 3-F-1, multiplied by the Pilot’s hourly rate of pay as of the end of the Vacation Year, and increased by the percentage specified in Section 22-A-1-a. Any unused vacation in excess of twenty-one (21) days shall be paid out as regular earnings in the Pilot’s paycheck.
11-I Military Pilot Vacation Allocation
11-I-1 For purposes of this Section 11-I, a “Military Vacation Pilot” is a Pilot on a Military Leave of Absence during a bid cycle of the annual vacation bidding process.
11-I-2 If feasible within technology and corporate security constraints, the Company will provide access to the annual vacation bidding system during the periods of annual vacation bidding for all Pilots on Military Leave who have an allotment of vacation days to bid.
11-I-3 A Military Vacation Pilot who took Military Leave during a bid cycle of the annual vacation bidding process defined in Section 11-E-3 of the Agreement, shall be allowed to have his vacation allocation awarded in accordance with this Section 11-I for that cycle, provided he was on Military Leave for at least one (1) day of the bidding cycle and did not place a bid for that cycle.
11-I-4 The Company shall, upon the Military Vacation Pilot’s request, cancel any unused vacation awarded in vacation bid cycles in which the Military Vacation Pilot met the criteria outlined in Section 11-I-3, above, and such vacation days shall be considered as available to be awarded in accordance with this Section 11-I. A Military Vacation Pilot utilizing this provision shall give notice of cancelation no later than thirty (30) days following his return to active status from the Military Leave that affected the bidding cycle for which he may cancel vacation. A Military Vacation Pilot may give notice to the Company of his desire to cancel any or all awarded vacation prior to departing for Military Leave that he expects would conflict with a cycle of the annual vacation bid during which the vacation would be awarded.
11-I-5 Any Military Vacation Pilot who has canceled vacation in accordance with Section 11-I-4, above, may reschedule his canceled vacation in any future vacation period that was awarded to a Pilot junior to him in the applicable cycle, provided that such vacation does not conflict with scheduled training or OE blocker days. In addition, if consolidation is required, a Military Vacation Pilot is not eligible to be awarded vacation in either of the next two (2) Bid Periods following the Bid Period in which the Military Vacation Pilot is scheduled to complete training. All rules concerning the bidding and awarding of vacations within a cycle that would have applied had he
been awarded the vacation as a result of a bid will also apply (e.g., only two vacation periods awarded in the Primary cycle and no more than three vacation periods in the Primary and Secondary cycles combined, etc.) A Military Vacation Pilot utilizing this provision shall select his vacation periods no later than thirty (30) days following his return to active status from the Military Leave that affected the bidding cycle for which he may select vacation.
11-I-6 The Military Vacation Pilot’s selection of vacation shall be measured against junior Pilots in the Category the Military Vacation Pilot would have held in the May Bid Period of the vacation year, considering any election made by the Military Vacation Pilot pursuant to Section 12-D-3-b of the Agreement and the effective date of when the Military Vacation Pilot would have been advanced to that position.
11-I-7 Should the Military Vacation Pilot’s exercise of Section 12-D-3-b result in a Category change for the Military Vacation Pilot which would have occurred after the beginning of the May Bid Period of the vacation year, the Military Vacation Pilot’s vacation award for the vacation year may be cancelled in accordance with Section 11-F-4 of the Agreement and, if so, the Military Vacation Pilot may bid his unused vacation allocation in the monthly vacation bid but will be ineligible for the provisions of this Section 11-I.
11-I-8 Military Vacation Pilots who retain unawarded vacation at the end of the vacation year shall have such vacation treated in accordance with Section 11-H of the Agreement.
11-I-9 Any modification to vacation awards under this Section 11-I must be requested not later than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the time that bidding for Monthly Schedule Preferencing for the affected month closes.