ASA PBS is.......

[LazyLightnin']

Or the reserve guy who has to cover the trips nobody else wants...with two hours notice.

Take that up with SH, JP, and CT. It's not the line bidding system's fault. You've been brainwashed to crave PBS.

 

[Nevets]

We have a similar system here, call me first. However, the company can skip a call me first if he is first in the bucket and the assingment would take him/her over 75 hrs. Assignments really are given out in order of block hours to try to keep everyone even. Ergo, call me first just gets you to 75 hrs fastest. We, however, cannot pick up open time as reserves at ASA.

At XJT the call out priority is:
FBO - Flown by operations
RX - modified pairing
RA - reserve day due to transition conflict or part of relief or reduced flying line
Long Call Reserve Will Call
Long Call Reserve No Preference
Short Call Reserve Will Call
Short Call Reserve No Preference

Its rare they call you if you are FBO, RX, or RA. They do skip you if you reached a certain amount of hours. I think its 60 but I'm not sure it may be 75.

Side note. You guys at XJT must have a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT of open time over there! Seems like every guy drops all his trips on his bid award and all pick up open time. I wonder why they don't build more lines with all that open time.

There is a lot of open time during the initial line improvement window due to vacation trip touching, training, transition conflicts, FAR violations, etc. You can drop to 60 hours. There is not nearly as much open time during the secondary line improvement window because most of the trips left over in the initial are used to create relief lines. You can only drop in the secondary if there is coverage.

 

[dojetdriver]

They do skip you if you reached a certain amount of hours. I think its 60 but I'm not sure it may be 75.

Reserve leveling bypass is 60.

There is a lot of open time during the initial line improvement window due to vacation trip touching, training, transition conflicts, FAR violations, etc. You can drop to 60 hours.

On a pure drop, but you can advertise and go below 60 can't you? Never done it myself, but seems I've heard of guys doing it.

Also remember, the "trading floor" has been reduced at times, when we had the RFL's is when I remember it last.

 

[79%N1]

There is no bypassing a reserve trip at ASA. In fact, management said they would allow us to strike over that kind of provision. That is the kind of mentality you guys will be dealing with over here. I'm sure they are going to press real hard to get some of those goodies out of your group when we join. I'm personally all for having them.

 

[crj567]

IMPERATIVE that we insist on a mix of types of trips, and a limitation on how many reserve lines are built.

Currently we have NOTHING that prohibits the company from building 10 hard lines and putting the remainder of the pilot group on reserve.
We are currently running about 30% on 200 reserves. We STILL don't have enough reserves. They call everybody in for a round trip and extend, extend, extend....

Very good points! This agreement leaves the door wide open to do many such things.

 

[COOPERVANE]

There is no bypassing a reserve trip at ASA. In fact, management said they would allow us to strike over that kind of provision. That is the kind of mentality you guys will be dealing with over here. I'm sure they are going to press real hard to get some of those goodies out of your group when we join. I'm personally all for having them.

Why are they sooooo against it? I know in the past they said it was because they didn't want to call 100 pilots to cover one trip, but if I had a right to refuse I would answer my phone when they called.

Also, our new super-duper auto dialer could be used. How does XJET sched department handle reserve contact with bypass rights?

 

[Nevets]

Why are they sooooo against it? I know in the past they said it was because they didn't want to call 100 pilots to cover one trip, but if I had a right to refuse I would answer my phone when they called.

Also, our new super-duper auto dialer could be used. How does XJET sched department handle reserve contact with bypass rights?

If you are under 60 hours, they simply bypass you and dont call you.

 

[dojetdriver]

There is no bypassing a reserve trip at ASA. In fact, management said they would allow us to strike over that kind of provision. That is the kind of mentality you guys will be dealing with over here. I'm sure they are going to press real hard to get some of those goodies out of your group when we join. I'm personally all for having them.

Just to clarify, there is no "bypass" option for reserve pilots at XJT. We have "will fly" and "no preference".

To expand on what Nevets said, say the bypass level is 60 hrs. Pilot A and pilot B are both in the same days available bucket. Pilot A has 65 hrs credit for the month, pilot B has 40. Pilot A may be higher in the stack, but will be bypassed since he's above the bypass level and pilot B will get called for the trip.

Also, pilot A will be prevented from using the reserve aggressive pickup window unless all the other pilots are above the reserve leveling bypass limit.

How does XJET sched department handle reserve contact with bypass rights?

See the above. Now that's not to say that sometimes scheduling doesn't pooch the screw and assign trips out of order.

 

[79%N1]

Gotcha.

And, I don't know why they are against a bypass the trip system where the mOst senior reserve gets called first and on down the list, but when I suggest it for this joint contract I was told no way because they tried to get this last time and were told we could go ahead and strike over that issue, but no way they were giving it to us. It is the most fair, but who cares about that!

 

[goahead]

Why is it taking so long for the awards to be posted?????
Flica usually takes about an hour tops for it to be done and this PBS crap is taking like a week and half to award trips. Sure it's all the alpa reps looking at which way works best for them before publishing it................

 

[johnpeace]

And, I don't know why they are against a bypass the trip system where the mOst senior reserve gets called first and on down the list

Because it would take away a tool the company has for keeping each reserve as close as they can to a 75 hour credit month.

They seem really myopic about that issue and having all the contract language they can to allow them to do just that. I can't believe it's that important a cost control method for them to use...but someone over there sure has the idea that they've struck cost-savings paydirt with the 75.0 hr credit month for reserve pilots.

 

[sweptback]

Why is it taking so long for the awards to be posted?????
Flica usually takes about an hour tops for it to be done and this PBS crap is taking like a week and half to award trips. Sure it's all the alpa reps looking at which way works best for them before publishing it................

Because they have the ability to run the software many different times, each time tweaking the settings to get a more favorable result.

I'm sure eventually they'll get it down to the point where it may only take a few hours, but they're just learning it like we are, so how about a little patience?

 

[goahead]

Because they have the ability to run the software many different times, each time tweaking the settings to get a more favorable result.

I'm sure eventually they'll get it down to the point where it may only take a few hours, but they're just learning it like we are, so how about a little patience?

Nope had enough time, like a year, if it's not good to go then don't use it. I'm sure they were having a nice paid for lunch while all getting six hours of pay to talk about all the gifts they bought for their families.

 

[crj567]

Nope had enough time, like a year, if it's not good to go then don't use it. I'm sure they were having a nice paid for lunch while all getting six hours of pay to talk about all the gifts they bought for their families.

Yep-
We are all about to pay for that one. With the current distribution of trips, this will be the worst mess we can imagine. Let's pray for some two days and day lines for the system to fill in the gaps with for Feb. It is just not possible to build a good schedule with so many crap 4 days and ball-buster 3 days.

-I am anxiously awaiting all the cheerleaders to pipe up when this thing kicks in during a month with crap 4 days from top to bottom.

-Maybe by some miracle, the company will build nice trips which will work well in tis system. There is no reason to expect they will, but that is our only hope.

 

[Nevets]

How long have you been doing practice bids? When were you guys supposed to go live with this originally? Why has it been postponed? When are you supposed to go live with it now?

 

[79%N1]

Goes live Jan bid for Feb schedules. Delayed due to software problems.

 

[asayankee]

Goes live Jan bid for Feb schedules. Delayed due to software problems.

Well, that's part of it. One reason for the software delays was ASA's fault for not paying the vendor on time. I would have stopped development work too.

 

[ohplease!]

Because they have the ability to run the software many different times, each time tweaking the settings to get a more favorable result.

I'm sure eventually they'll get it down to the point where it may only take a few hours, but they're just learning it like we are, so how about a little patience?

All out of patience! Our alpa boys have nobody's interests in mind but their own....and don't give me the "but their volunteering their time and giving up their QOL to help us out" BS.... time for these chumps to go.

 

[Speedtape]

All out of patience! Our alpa boys have nobody's interests in mind but their own....and don't give me the "but their volunteering their time and giving up their QOL to help us out" BS.... time for these chumps to go.

Don't know about you, but I want it to work as intended. If it takes even longer, so be it. It's software, and his has been customized, the CDO rules are complex to protect bad things from happening to people who don't bid them but may be awarded them, and everyone is still learning. From my perspective, take as long as you like, because if it's not right when it gets turned on, it may not ever be fixed right.

I've done basic programming before in school, and another job. In complex processes it requires programming, testing, more programming, more testing, and more programming in a continued cycle, until it's right. It's not like starting up your car or using a remote control--where the hard work or programming has already been done for you.

I was totally against it, but after the 2 practice bids and awards, I can see where this will be a great improvement over what we do today. However, I have to do my part, because no one has a more vested interest in the quality of my schedule than me. It certainly can't be left in others hands to determine what a good schedule is for me. Let's be patient, let them get it right or near right, do our part, and I am convinced that we will never want to go back to line bidding.

 

[ohplease!]

They've had nearly a year (if not far longer) to "get it right" and FLICA is paid to do the programing and testing (I can only assume they are professionals and know what they are doing). Testing and running the results need only take minutes unless FLICA is working on a Commador 64. Hell, my phone could crunch those numbers in minutes. All of this on again/off again BS with PBS is just that, BS. Here we are just a little more than a week from going live with this thing and the last practice hasn't been published...and we're supposed to get one more practice before bidding?....here's a little note for the fella's in the alpa office; if you're not going to fly a line, at least get this fixed so that those of us who do won't get screwed! and I'm sure you guy's will do the least amount you have to do.