ARTICLE B7 ‑ OPEN FLYING

All appropriate modifications to the Collective Agreement for PBS will be finalized after the provisions of Item 7(b) of the May 2003 MOU are either agreed to or arbitrated.

B7.01       Definition ‑ Open Flight:  All flights or flight sequences not included in a block or any flight that a Blockholder cannot operate for any reason, except flights or flight sequences from which a Blockholder is displaced under Article B6.02 ‑ Displacement, shall be considered as open flights.

NOTE:       Except as provided for in Articles B7.04.02, B7.04.03, B7.04.04 and B7.04.05, for the purposes of Article B7, an open flight will not include those flights covered under Article B11 – Crewing to Load.

B7.01.01       Sick Leave ‑ Six Hour Hold:  When an employee books off, s/he may place a six (6) hour hold on his/her next or subsequent flights.  His/her flight will be considered as open flying if s/he has not booked on six (6) hours prior to departure.

If the six (6) hour hold is placed on other than his/her next flight, the flights between his/her book off and that flight will automatically be considered as open flying and awarded accordingly.

NOTE:       Six (6) hour holds may only be placed on the start of a sequence.

B7.01.02       If an employee does not place a six (6) hour hold on any flight, his/her flights will only be considered as open flying if s/he has not booked on at 1000 the day prior to flight depar­ture.

NOTE:       If an employee books on after his/her flight sequence has been awarded s/he will have no claim on that flight sequence.

B7.02       Open Flying List:  The Crew Resource Centre shall maintain a current open flying list indicating all open flights scheduled to be operated for the balance of the month.

B7.02.01       The open flying list shall indicate the following information for each open flight or flight sequence:

‑ Dates of Operation     ‑ Departure Time

‑ Flight Numbers          ‑Arrival Times

‑ Aircraft Type          ‑ Layover Time

‑ Flight Routing          ‑ Flight Time Credits

B7.02.02       Pairing: If practicable, open flights will be paired as a flight sequence in the same manner as they were paired in a block.

NOTE:       One way open flights may be paired with a return flight or with a deadhead to or from the open flight.

B7.03       Open Flying Bid:  Regular Blockholders may bid for open flights indicated on the open flying list or for open flights that may become available in the future.

B7.03.01       Eligibility:  A Regular Blockholder shall be eligible to bid for open flights provided s/he is legal in every respect and available to operate his/her block subject to the following:

B7.03.01.01            The return to base extension is not applicable until after the last scheduled flight is completed.

B7.03.01.02            Guaranteed days off may be moved either forward or back­ward in that month including retroactively.

B7.03.01.03            Where an employee has booked off sick s/he is only eligible to bid for open flights departing after the scheduled arrival of his/her blocked flight plus the applicable minimum rest period except as provided for in Article 9.08.

B7.03.02            Bid Process:  An open flying bid sheet shall be maintained and shall indicate the information required for a valid bid.

B7.03.02.01       Bid Deadline:  The bid deadline shall be as follows:

‑ First Award:         1000 hours the day prior to commencement of the next block month.

‑ Daily Awards:         1000 hours each day.

B7.03.02.02            Bid Procedure:  The Regular Blockholder shall personally complete the open flying bid sheet before the bid dead­line.

B7.03.02.02.01      Proxy Bid:  The Regular Blockholder may request the Crew Resource Centre to complete the bid sheet on his/her behalf.

B7.03.02.02.02      Late Bid:  A bid submitted after the bid deadline shall be accepted but shall not be considered until all bids submitted before the deadline have been exhausted.

B7.03.02.02.03      Invalid Bid:  A bid that is incomplete shall be considered invalid.

B7.03.03            Bidding

B7.03.03.01            A Regular Blockholder may bid for either a specific flight sequence indicated on the open flying list or a specific type of flight on specified dates not on the list.

B7.03.03.02            When an employee does not bid on a specific open flight sequence the following must be included on their bid or the bid will be considered invalid.

Date/Dates desired

Single Day/Layover

Domestic/Overseas

Type of Equipment Preference

Route Preference

Minimum/Maximum Time Required

B7.03.03.03            This bid will be continued in effect until the specifications have been met or have expired.

B7.04       AWARD SEQUENCE:  All open flights, including crewing to load flights as described in B11.01, shall be awarded or assigned subject to classification and language requirements in the following sequence:

B7.04.01   Cabin personnel who have fallen below their Minimum Monthly Guarantee as a result of using Family Care Leave under Article 10.12 

B7.05       AWARD PROCEDURE:  After the bid deadline for both the first award and subsequent daily awards, all known open flights for the balance of the month shall be awarded subject to following provisions:

B7.05.01       Open Flying Award:  All known open flights for the balance of the month shall be awarded immediately following the bid dead­line each day from valid bids received prior to the bid dead­line in accordance with seniority subject to classification and language requirements.  An open flight once awarded to a Regular Blockholder from the open flying list shall be considered as part of his/her block.

NOTE:       In‑Flight Service Management/Supervisory Personnel can bid open flying in accordance with their seniority.

B7.05.01.01            Open flights not awarded in the open flying award and open flights which become open after the bid deadline shall be awarded at any time in accordance with seniority subject to classification and language requirements based on valid bids on hand.

NOTE:       Any open flights not awarded through the above procedure can be assigned to Reserve Flight Attendants for the purpose of observation flying.  Such flights will be removed from the open flying list.

B7.05.02       General:  The Crew Resource Centre shall attempt to contact by  telephone the employee entitled to a flight, at least twice at fifteen (15) minute intervals.  If s/he cannot be contacted, s/he shall be awarded the flight sequence that meets the specifications in his/her bid.

NOTE:       An employee who will not be at his/her normal place of contact, should either contact the Crew Resource Centre personally or leave an alternate point of contact.

B7.05.03       Reserve Assignment:  Where there is insufficient time to award an open flight under the award procedure, coverage for that flight will be provided from reserve.

B7.06       AWARDING ERRORS:  Where an open flight is awarded to a Regular Blockholder not entitled to the flight, and the award is not changed, the Regular Blockholder entitled to the flight shall be credited for that flight, provided s/he submits a claim within four­teen (14) days from the scheduled departure, and s/he shall receive the greater of the flight credits to which s/he was entitled or any actual credits earned.

Where an error in awarding is made to a Regular Blockholder illegal for the flight, and a claim is made and allowed under this

Article, s/he shall not be credited for that flight even where s/he actually operated the flight.

NOTE:       Any necessary payroll adjustments will be made.