3.13.26 – Vacation MRB, Filler Day Bid, VEX Day, and Vacation ETB Timelines for May 2026 Bid Month

Vacation MRB, Filler Day Bid, VEX Day, and Vacation ETB Timelines for May 2026 Bid Month

Friday, March 13, 2026

The 2026-27 Annual Vacation Bid Award is now final. To view your award details, go to Crew Portal > Monthly Bids > Vacation > Annual > Summary > Show Detail. Your awarded vacation days are also viewable in FOS/DECS under HI10.

The monthly process timeline for the May bid month, which marks the beginning of the new vacation fiscal year, differs slightly from the standard timeline used during the remainder of the year. These adjustments are necessary to accommodate the annual vacation bid and award process.

To ensure adequate time for processing and finalizing vacation awards before the start of the new fiscal year, certain steps in the May timeline are modified. The May vacation process timeline is adjusted as follows:

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Monthly Rebid (MRB)

The Vacation Monthly Rebid (MRB) occurs every month and allows Flight Attendants to bid to move vacation days, and to bid for vacation days that may be unscheduled as a result of leaves, etc. Awards are processed in seniority order.

The MRB window opens on the 1st at 12:00 PM (CT) and closes on the 10th at 12:00 PM (CT) each month. You may rebid vacation beginning two months after the current bid month through the end of the vacation year. For example, during the July MRB, you can rebid vacation starting in the September bid month through the end of the vacation year.

Because availability changes as other Flight Attendants adjust schedules, the MRB provides a monthly opportunity to improve or modify your vacation schedule.

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Filler Days

If you elected to designate Filler Days during the annual vacation bid, you can participate in the monthly Filler Day bid for the months you would like to schedule your Filler Days. Monthly Filler Day bids are awarded in seniority order.

Unlike the Vacation Monthly Rebid (MRB), the monthly Filler Day bid is only open for the specific bid month and only two months in advance. This means that Filler Days must be requested during a limited bidding window that applies only to the month in which the Filler Days will occur.

For example, if you want to bid for Filler Days in the month of September, the bidding window will open on July 11 at 12:00 PM (CT) and close on July 20 at 12:00 PM (CT). During this timeframe, you can submit or modify your bid for September Filler Days. Once the window closes, no additional bids or changes can be made for that month.

This differs from the Vacation Monthly Rebid process, which allows bidding for the entire vacation period and remains open for a longer timeframe prior to the vacation.

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Vacation Extension (VEX) Days

VEX days allow you to “extend” your vacation block with additional unpaid days. VEX days are a pre-planned absence and will prevent PBS from awarding you trips or reserve days of availability which touch the VEX days. ​VEX days carry no value for pay or credit. Since VEX days are only “placeholders” in PBS, they will not show on your Crew Portal calendar.

If you have seven or more consecutive vacation days, you are eligible to designate up to four VEX days in conjunction with the vacation block.  You cannot designate more than four VEX days per bid month. This is true even if you have more than one, separate seven-day (or more) vacation blocks in the month. There are no blackout dates for VEX days, and they are not seniority driven.

​Up to four (4) VEX days may be placed before, after, or split in any combination on either side of a vacation block. (“Up to four” means you have the ability to designate less than four (4) VEX days in conjunction with your vacation block). VEX days may start in the bid month prior to your vacation or carry into the bid month following your vacation, as long as they directly precede or follow the eligible vacation block.

VEX days may be entered up to two months prior to the bid month you would like the VEX days to be placed or up to two months prior to the bid month in which your vacation starts – whichever is earlier.

Important things to consider when deciding whether or not to designate VEX days:

For Lineholders: VEX days will prevent the award of any trip that touches the VEX days. That means that if the report or release of the trip touches a VEX day by even one minute, PBS will not award the trip.

For Reserves: VEX days will count toward scheduled Golden Days. Use caution when designating VEX days during Reserve months. Since they are Golden Days, they may limit the legal reserve days off patterns PBS is able to award you.

PBS will honor the designated VEX days unless the program cannot produce a solution honoring the days. Reminder: The VEX freeze period occurs on the 1^st through 20^th of each month for two months out only.

• For example: For the month of June only, the VEX freeze period will be April 1-20.

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Monthly Vacation Process Timelines

The deadline for vacation trades on the ETB is the 5th of the month at 2300 (CT), one month prior.

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If you have any vacation questions, please open a support ticket by going to Crew Portal > Links > SupportTab > System (Vacation)/Form Type (Annual Vacation).

In Solidarity,

Jeff Petersen
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]

Marti McMillan
APFA National Scheduling Chair
[email protected]