Crew Scheduling, in their efforts to keep track of each F/A’s AIL activity, developed a system to monitor whether a F/A properly uses the bid sheet and fulfills his/her obligations.  This system is known as “blue boxing”. There is nothing special about the color blue, which was chosen to highlight a F/A’s block trip.  The blue box merely provides a visual aid to the crew scheduler indicating which days a F/A is required to touch.  Any F/A who uses the AIL provisions should be aware of how the blue-box process works. 

For example, a F/A has a four-day block trip that originates on the 25th.  The F/A goes on the AIL and is awarded a three-day trip originating on the 22nd.  However, the AIL trip makes the F/A illegal for his/her block trip.  As long as the F/A is legal to originate some trip on the 25th (i.e. does not exceed 30/7, receives required 24:00 hours rest in 7 days, etc.), crew scheduling will approve the three-day trip for the 22nd. 

When crew scheduling awards the trip for the 22nd, they will remove Trip 22005 on the 25th and “bluebox” it.  The F/A should be advised of the trip removal.   If the bid sheet is restricted on the 25th, the F/A is responsible to originate another trip on that day.  If the bid sheet is not restricted on the 25th, the F/A may choose to touch one of the other days of the “blue-boxed” trip.  Additionally, if the F/A is not legal to originate any trip on the 25th, crew scheduling will not allow the F/A to pick up a trip on the 22nd.  Should the F/A become illegal through no fault of his/her own and unable to pick up a trip on the 25th, the F/A is still responsible to fulfill his/her AIL obligations.

When the F/A is advised of the block-trip removal (blue box), the scheduler puts the F/A on the AIL for the day the original block trip was scheduled to out.  Again, if the bid sheet is restricted on the 25th, the F/A has an obligation to fly something on that day.