True North wrote:
I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is; WJ pilots work a maximum of 16 days per month and get paid for XX hours per month. I'm not sure what XX is (75? 80? 85?) but it doesn't matter, it amounts to a min guarantee. If you only flew one hour per day you would work for 16 days and acquire 16 hours but still get paid for XX hours. 16 days divided by whatever you get for flying XX hours equals your min guarantee for a day, whether you are sitting in a hotel or at the controls. So, if you spend 24+ hours in a hotel it becomes one of the 16 days worked and you get paid. To really make it simple for you, If you flew to destination on your first day and broke down and spent the next 15 days in a hotel you'd still get paid for flying 16 days, yes?
Of course I'm sure none of this is an issue if the 37 hour layover is in Mexico or Hawaii. It's only an issue if it's in Fort Mac (no offence to anyone from Fort Mac

).
Everything you say here is technically correct but only part of the story.
The situation you outline is like running into yourself having breakfast, it's highly improbable. Not impossible, but improbable. yes.
The more probable situation is this:
You have a minimum guarantee of XX hours per month (not per day) but you tend to be scheduled to XX+3 or 4. Good news, you won't get paid the minimum. Yay. So far, so good. Now, you are scheduled to XX+4 (let's say for ease of argument) and you complete those hours in 13 days... but you are still going to work 16 days because you are going to sit in YQX for 52 hours and YEG for 36 hours (as an example). So, you could have been finished in 13 days of scheduled work, been available for Overtime to help the company out with any shortages or enjoying the company of your family, getting things done around the house that can't be done when you are on the road or just catching up on some missed sleep... but instead you are sitting in a hotel room and getting paid... about $3/hour perdiems.
Now, if I understand the point the minimum daily credit guys are trying to make, it's that those 3 days of sitting would be revenue days instead of none revenue days. That said, you are correct that there is a minimum monthly credit and if you were lucky enough to be scheduled under the minimum you would be topped up to the minimum... and technically, that would mean paid days of sitting. It's just that in practice, this doesn't really happen for a variety of reasons.
I'm going to knock this up a notch with my spice weasle. Bam!