The following are facts that cannot be refuted:
1. Smartpref has been around for over 7 years.
>In that time, they have not signed one customer. Why?
>So, there are no pilot testimonies to guage. Maybe, there is a reason-- 7 years?
2. Smartpref utilizes GLOBALIZATION for it's solver logic.
>This is the same logic used in all the other Pilot egregious PBS-- except for Prefbid.
>Globalization will ignore your dream pairings that are available to you even if available.
>Globalization denies Power to the Pilot in building his tailored schedule. (YOU LOSE CONTROL)
3. Pilot satisfaction will be higher with a system where you have the most control to build your personal schedule in one process--not all these after second and third processes. In a seniority based system, if you bid correctly, you will not have to "fix" something that a "Scheduler" or more importanly to this conversation, that GLOBALIZATION did to you!
4. Your Scheduling Committee, bless their hearts for trying, can never do an adequate study or research because there is not a method of replicating the exact process that takes place in a "real" bidding environment with 400-500 bidders in a crewclass bidding at the same time! They can only touch the tip of the iceberg by putting in bids in a non-active system to assess the full reach and affects of GLOBALIZATION! GLOBALIZATION is what circumcises the benefit of seniority based bidding!
5. Pilot satisfaction will always be the highest when Pilots have the most Power in bidding. When you introduce a constrainer, governor, regulator, or any other description of GLOBALIZATION, then you are impeding, constraining, restricting, denying, all affected pilots from truly getting the schedules and trips that they want to tailor their work schedules around their lives. And, yes, it can affect your pocketbook, because GLOBALIZATION will drive a line average result for every pilot constrained--leaving no open-time to add more dollars to your paycheck. The pilots who want to fly near guarantee, will be flying something higher near the average line value (alv). The pilots who want to fly for more dollars, will be restricted because they will be held near the alv; there will be little or no opentime.
Some have looked at your line bidding system. We did something very similar in the past. And not to get into the "mine is better than yours" argument, but we only had 3 integration days--still too many. We were able to actullay bid on trips to fill the integration days versus having scheduling do that whole process. Everyone hates integration days--Why? Because, as pilots, to some degree we lose all control over what happens or it forces us to to do something we don't want to do. Integration goes away with PBS--any system! However, a seniority sytem gives you more control, where a GLOBALIZED system takes away that control.
Line bidding is going away. It is too inefficient for the Company and also for the Pilots. It causes conflicts which have to be fixed by the Company and also the resultant schedule usually has to be fixed by the Pilot. It creates the need for more staffing, and it produces more Reserves and less lines. When the Flightline Prefbid was introduced, it created almost 200 more hard lines (200 less Reserves.) There is no need for all those other process of building relief lines and still resulting in too many Reserves.
What you need to consider:
1. Pilot Scheduling Power--More with strict seniority based system; less with GLOBALIZATION. Globalization robs pilots of choice! It's the silent robber!
2. Pilot Testimony--Don't take any system where there is no real track record and you can't get feedback from real pilots that have used those systems.
3. Scheduling Committee Research--Listen, read and study. I am sure your guys are sharp. However, no, HOWEVER, they can't evaluate what they can't see or know about. There are too many unknowns with Smartpref. Why? Because in 7 (SEVEN) years, no customers have signed up! Without a fully fucntional real time data over an extended period of time, NO ONE can fully evaluate what they can't see or know about! Do you really want to be the guinea pig and beta test this product for the next X years, possibly the rest of your career here? It could very well be a Trojan Horse! If GLOBALIZATION is involved, with a secret, proprietray, and very complex algorithm, there is little to NO PREDICTABILITY to your schedule!
4. An overwhelming majority of ASA pilots are very pleased with Prefbid. They would not go back to line bidding because they can tailor their schedule in a way that no scheduler would ever build a schedule. Yes, there are some that will compain--the same 5% that will always complain, because they are on the bubble of holding a line (just like the pilots in your line bidding system--one month they hold a schedule; the next month they don't) or they have not put the time into learning the basics of bidding, yet, they fly $25M complex airplanes around. That group is sprinkled throughout the seniority list and have to be discounted from any survey.
Many of us are not unreasonable or close minded! We as a group were also very adverse to PBS. What we did learn through the process was: GLOBALIZATION based systems DEPRIVE pilots of power in bidding and schedule satisfaction. Any Contiental Pilot will tell you this! Their experience is what has made the legacy XJet pilots so adverse to PBS! Why? Rules and also GLOBALIZATION are the key factors! You can candy coat GLOBALIZATION any way you want, but it works the same in all the GLOBALIZED systems. If you accept a system with GLOBALIZATION, you are compromising and giving concessions because the Pilot will not have any chance of having complete control in building his line. That can extend to denial of specific pairings you wanted and more importanly being able to control your line value (either more days off and little flying or Maximizing your pay check). Why in the world would anyone want to give up that control?
