2.23.26 – Primary Round of 2026-27 Vacation Bidding Closes Wednesday

Primary Round of Vacation Bidding Closes Wednesday

Monday, February 23, 2026

The Primary Round of Vacation Bidding will close on Wednesday, February 25 at 12 PM (CT). Primary Round awards will be posted no later than Monday, March 2 at 12 PM (CT).

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Q1: I bought back vacation during the annual vacation buyback process. How and when will it be paid? 

A: Pay for annual vacation buyback will be as follows:

• Buyback will be paid out at 4:00 hours per day.
• Vacation buyback days are not eligible for premium pay.
• Pay is based on your CBA hourly rate applicable for the June 2026 mid-month paycheck.

Q2: My summary page in AVBA shows an accrual of 35 days and 7 max filler days. Does this mean I have a total of 42 vacation days?

A: No, you have a total of 35 days. The number of max filler days displayed on the summary page is based on your total days accrued.

Q3. What are Filler Days?

A: Filler Days are accrued vacation days you may set aside during annual vacation bidding. It is important to note Filler Days are not in addition to but are a part of your yearly accrual. If you set aside Filler Days during the annual vacation bidding period, you may bid for them two months prior to the month you want to use them. The bidding period opens at 12 PM (CT) on the 11th and closes at 12 PM (CT) on the 20th of every month. You may want to utilize Filler Days to bid to have a holiday off that you cannot hold in the annual bid or to add more day(s) to an existing vacation block.

Q4. What are Unscheduled Days?

A: Unscheduled Days are vacation days that are cancelled due to leaves of absence, such as a medical leave. Unscheduled Days were eligible for rebid in the Monthly Rebid. If you did not rebid them during the current vacation cycle, they were converted to Carry Forward Days.

Q5: What are Carry Forward Days?

A: Carry Forward Days are any unscheduled vacation days from the prior fiscal year’s vacation cycle you did not use. You may bid your Carry Forward Days during the Secondary Round of vacation bidding. Your Carry Forward days will not be displayed in your accrual until the Secondary Round of vacation bidding opens on March 2.

Q6: Can I split my vacation as many times as I would like throughout the fiscal year?

A: The AVBA system allows for a lot of flexibility when bidding for vacation days. Your vacation days may be split into many different combinations. A single vacation block can even encompass two contractual months (e.g., a vacation scheduled from June 27th to July 5th). It is important to remember the limits of splitting your vacation days. You may only be awarded one vacation block of either one (1), two (2) or three (3) consecutive days. All other vacation blocks must be four (4) or more consecutive days (2024 CBA Section 8.C.1.).

Q7: Why would I use a descending date range?

A: A descending date range allows you to prioritize your bid starting with a later date going in reverse chronological order. For example, if you want to prioritize the end of December over the beginning of December for a seven day block, you would enter 12/31/2026 as your start date and 12/02/2026 as your end date. The system would look at 12/31 going backwards for seven days, then 12/30 for seven days, until it can award you a seven day block.

Q8: As a Lineholder with a block of less than 7 days of vacation that will be paid at 4.0 hours per day but only credited at 3.5 hours per day, what does that mean for PBS bidding and my TTS max?

A: In PBS, your existing credit will only include the 3.5 hours per vacation day. The additional 0.5 hours (30 minutes) per day will be paid on top of any awarded hours. Since the 30 minutes per day is no credit, it will not impact your TTS max.

Example: You have 6 days of vacation in the bid month. You will be paid for 24.0 hours of vacation time (6 days x 4.0 hours). However, you will only receive 3.5 hours of credit per day for a total of 21.0 hours (6 days x 3.5 hours). That means the 3.0 hours of pay no credit will be paid on top of any hours you are awarded through any of the scheduling systems (PBS, TTS/UBL, ETB).

Q9: As a Reserve with a block of less than 7 days of vacation that will be paid at 4.0 hours per day but only credited at 3.5 hours per day, what will that mean for my Reserve guarantee and Reserve Calling Out of Time (RSVCOT)?

A: The 3.5 credited hours will go toward your guarantee and your RSVCOT. Since the additional 0.5 hours (30 minutes) per day is pay no credit, it will be paid on top of your guarantee and will not go toward your RSVCOT.

Example: You have 6 days of vacation in the bid month. Similar to Lineholders, while you will be paid for 24.0 hours of vacation time, only 21.0 hours will go toward your reserve guarantee and RSVCOT. The 3.0 hours of pay no credit will be paid above your Reserve guarantee and will not be applied to your RSVCOT.

Q10: How can I hold vacation low for the month?

A: If you have at least seven (7) vacation days scheduled within a bid month (they do not need to be in a consecutive block) you have priority for a low time (40-69 hours) line over those senior to you who do not have seven or more vacation days.

Q11: What are VEX days?

A: If you have seven or more consecutive vacation days, you are able to request up to four Vacation Extension (VEX) days per vacation block. There are no blackout dates for VEX days, and they are not seniority driven. VEX days may be placed before, after, or split in any combination on either side of a vacation period. They may also be placed in the bid month prior to your vacation or carry into the next bid month. VEX day requests must be entered two months prior to the bid month you would like the VEX days to be placed or two months prior to the bid month in which your vacation starts – whichever is earlier. VEX days are unpaid and uncredited; they are used as a placeholder to prevent PBS from assigning you a sequence or a reserve day. Once the PBS award is final they become regular days off and you may pick up a trip on those days, if desired.

Q12: I want all of my vacation to be in the same bid month. Is December 1 part of the December bid month?

A: No. December 1 is in the November bid month. Here are the Contractual Bid Months for 2026-27:

Q13: How do I know how many vacation days I should have? 

A: Your vacation accrual is based on your longevity seniority as well as the  number of months of active service in 2025. For example, using the chart below, if your longevity date is in 1999 and you were active for every month during 2025, you are eligible for 35 days of vacation for this vacation cycle.

Q14: How do I get the most value for my vacations days?

A: To get the most money for your vacation days, consider bidding for your vacation after your annual pay rate increase.

Q15: How do I bid for vacation?

A: To bid for vacation, go to the Crew Portal. Once logged in, click on:

• Monthly Bids > Vacation > Annual > Bidding Ballots

If you have any questions regarding your accrual or bidding process, you may email [email protected] or open a ticket on the Support Tab on Crew Portal.

In Solidarity,

Jeff Petersen
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]

Marti McMillan
APFA National Scheduling Chair
[email protected]