Advantages/Disadvantages of pref bidding

[COOPERVANE]

All those who use preferential bidding. How do you like it? Does this help the company ONLY? Senior pilots? Does it allow more flexibility (read interpretation) by the company?

Vacation? I get all conflicting trips DROPPED now, how could pref bidding be better? I can turn a week off into almost 3 if I bid right!!

I know ASA management is wanting to implement preferential bidding after our contract is settled (in 2008) but anytime the Co. wants something, it can't be good for the pilot group!!

Any opinions?

 

[Texx]

All those who use preferential bidding. How do you like it? Does this help the company ONLY? Senior pilots? Does it allow more flexibility (read interpretation) by the company?

I know ASA management is wanting to implement preferential bidding after our contract is settled (in 2008) but anytime the Co. wants something, it can't be good for the pilot group!!

Any opinions?

Most PBS are actual line builders not pairings. Bad pairings means bad lines.

 

[wings421]

Texx is correct about - Bad Pairings = Poor Lines

However, we have pref bid and I REALLY like it. For senior people, its great and for the others its not too bad either. I'm only about 1/3 of the way from the bottom in my seat and base, but I generally get what I bid for. I enjoy the ability to get a few days off that I NEED off for the month without problem.

That being said, with our pref bid system there are some problems that our pilot group experiences. Vacation, recurrent, and PC months can sometimes screw with your schedule because of their "value" according to our contract. With our system you only get a couple of more days off in vacation months so its almost worth more to bid that week off and cash in your vacation for pay. At least thats how I view it.

Altogether though, I really like the system.

 

[Ralgha]

I love it. I can build my schedule so that I get all of my work done in 2.5 weeks and have the rest of the month off straight through. I can pick and choose pairings I want instead of have to settle for a pre-built line that contains one trip I really want and then a bunch of so-so ones.

It's true though that bad pairings really hurts the system. Also, if you don't know how to use it, you're going to hate it.

 

[FlyingDawg]

I bid for 15 specific days off each month. With PBS I get them and still have some choice over what trips I fly. I normally have 16 to 18 days off a month.
I don't bid vacations because I can get 2 weeks off by bidding the last and first weeks off of two months. That way I sell back 84 hours of vacation time for an extra months pay when my pay rate increases each year. I love it!

 

[Bluestreak]

The downside is the company can tinker with PBS and set the min hours higher and you get assigned a one day out and back in the middle of your week off (non-commutable on either end,of course).Say that set a min of 80 hours with a target of 82 and most pairings pay only 17 hours for a 3 day-see where this is going ? Plus,they build pairings with those lovely 3 hour "airport appreciation breaks".Or you get denied a pairing because the system says it's a 30/7 problem-but it's not-it's 30 CREDIT hours (deadheads),not BLOCK hours-I had it happen.Plus,it totally ignores your preferences if you bid pairings if it goes to "denial mode".Some people get shafted by "unstacking".If you have a small base,it's even worse-less pairings-less desirable scheds,but that goes with the small base anyway.To build a decent sched can take a few hours of paper exercises,and that really only works if you're relatively senior.I liked the old way better-I got an early start on griping about my sched !

 

[wmuflyguy]

You don't like to put spaces after periods do you?