What is a TRIP RIG? What is a DUTY RIG?
Many airline Flight Attendant contracts have a TRIP RIG and a DUTY RIG. This article will present the basics of what rigs are, and how they can enhance Flight Attendant compensation. Rigs become important when you have lengthy layovers or airport sit time. Compensation for your sequences are paid the GREATER of actual TFP flown, TRIP RIG, DUTY RIG or MINIMUM DUTY PERIOD RIG computations. And a multi-day sequence can be a combination of Actual TFP flown, DUTY RIG, and MINIMUM DUTY PERIOD RIG.
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MINIMUM DUTY PERIOD RIG
You are currently compensated a MINIMUM DUTY PERIOD RIG of 4 TFP for any duty period worked or full calendar day free of duty while on a layover.
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TRIP RIG
A TRIP RIG is pay credit based on time away from base. This means that from the time you report for duty until the time you are released from duty in domicile equals a quantity of time.
Let’s look at a 1:4 TRIP RIG. This means that for every 4 hours that you spend away from domicile beginning at check in until release time at your domicile, you are paid one TFP at your specified rate. Here is an example as to how a TRIP RIG is calculated.
Sarah reports for duty at her LAX domicile at 1225 for a 3-day sequence. She flies LAX-PDX-ANC on Day One, arriving ANC at 2048. On Day Two, Sarah flies ANC-SEA arriving at 0450. On Day Three, she departs PDX at 0700 and arrives back at her LAX home domicile at 0929, and after her 30 minute debrief time is released at 0959. Her total time away from base (TAFB) has been 69 hours 34 minutes. To calculate the TRIP RIG pay and credit you divide the 69 hrs 34 mins divided by 4 = 17.4 TFP (TAFB / 4 = TFP Pay & Credit).
Here is how TFP pay and credit would be calculated for the example TRIP RIG above if we achieve rigs in our contract and how they work to your benefit. Remember you would receive the greater of the actual TFP flown, DUTY RIG, TRIP RIG, or MINIMUM DUTY PERIOD RIG assuming all those rigs were in place.
Day 1 Report 1225 Actual TFP DUTY RIG TRIP RIG
LAX-PDX 1325-1550 2.4
PDX-ANC 1755-2048 4.3 7.1
Day 2 Report 2345
ANC-SEA 0030-0450 4.0 3.2(4.0 min)
Day 3
SEA-LAX 0700-0929 4.0 2.8(4.0 min)_________________
TAFB 6934 Release 0959
14.7 15.1 17.4
Today you would be paid the actual 14.7 TFP but a TRIP RIG would pay you 17.4 TFP. The TRIP RIG formula equates to an 18% increase in pay and credit value for this 3-day sequence.
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DUTY RIGS
A DUTY RIG is pay credit based on the amount of time that you spend on duty. Let’s look at DUTY RIG example.
Jessica reports for her trip in SEA at 1300, and departs at 1400 for SFO. She arrives at 1619 in SFO and has a 3:01airport sit time. She then departs for SEA at 1920, arriving at 2116, with a release time of 2146. Her total duty period has been 8 hours 46 minutes. If the DUTY RIG that her contract offers is .75 TFP per each duty hour. This would mean that for every one hour that Jessica spends on duty, from the time of check in until release she will be paid .75 TFP of her current TFP rate of compensation. In this case, we would multiply 8.75 hours by .0.75. (Hours on duty x .75 TFP per hour = TFP pay and credit.) Jessica would receive 6.6 TFP credit at her rate of pay for this duty period using a DUTY RIG computation. Today this SFO turn with a three hour airport sit would pay and credit you 4.2 TFP….. with the DUTY RIG formula this equates to a 56% increase to pay and credit for this sequence.
1 day turn Report 1300 Actual TFP DUTY RIG TRIP RIG
SEA-SFO 1400-1619 2.1
SFO-SEA 1920-2116 2.1_______________________________
TAFB 846 Release 2146
4.2 6.6 2.2
1 day turn Report 0540
ANC-ADQ 0640-0745 1.0
ADQ-ANC 0835-1339 1.0
ANC-BET 1223-1339 1.4
BET-ANC 1432-1539 1.4___________________________________
TAFB 959 Release 1609
4.8 7.4 2.5
This example of a DUTY RIG calculation for a one-day turn out of ANC shows a 54% increase in pay and credit above the actual you are paid today
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Rigs will pay you for the unproductive time you spend sitting at airports or on long layovers with little actual flight time, such as 3-day sequences which are only worth 8.0 TFP. Hopefully these explanations of rigs will give you a better understanding how important it is we achieve them in our next contract.
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
“Four Bases, One Voice”
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