Fdx Subic Question

[FoxHunter]

You have go to be kiddin' me!!
Los1

Not at all. The people that have it seem to like it. I recall one guy on the ALPA board talking about coaching baseball and the only reason he could make it work was because of PBS.

 

[Deuce130]

What's PBS?

PS - Any FDX guys who have recently come back from Mil leave - can you PM me? Wondering how it all works, especially with the bid out.

 

[pilot141]

PBS = Preferential Bidding System.

Instead of the company building lines and having everyone bid on them, the pilots bid for days off, layover cities, day/night flying, long/short legs, or whatever preferences the company comes up with.

After everyone bids the company builds the lines. If you are senior and bid "every Friday off, plus the third Tuesday off and New Orleans layovers" then you will probably get exactly what you want. If you are junior then you get squat, just like you do in any system.

There are people that love PBS because they can simplify their bidding and get the days off/flying that suits their lifestyle. However, PBS is only as good as the company. If your company has a natural tendency to screw over the pilots (ahem...FDX or AA) then PBS will probably not work out as you had hoped. Some people at companies with a better environment love PBS (the former TWA guys in particular).

One thing to consider: with PBS you can say goodbye to conflicting your vacation, training or any sweet carrover conflict deals. When the company builds your schedule you can bet that it will be to maximize your productivity and NOT to maximize your days off. The number I hear tossed around a lot is that PBS (if properly implemented) can result in 10% fewer pilots required to fly the schedule simply becasue of the elimination of trips dropped for vac/training/etc.

Count me as a "no" voter on PBS if it ever comes up at FDX.

 

[JethroF15]

Only if you do not protect min days. How in the world could you logistically build schedules with our complex routes without C/O?

I personally don't have a problem with C/O. What I do have a problem with is pilots bidding big C/O trips and then working a full schedule the next month essentailly having 0 days off. If you want to do that then want until the contract is settled.

Hence... overtime work at straight time pay! The union did a study a few years back and determined that if the company changed the start of the bid month from Monday to Sunday it would eliminate 90% of carry over. Of course the company would have to hire more pilots and build more lines. I don't see a reason for it from a pilot's view unless your goal is to increase your pay by flying the C/O and then another full line on top of that. I know a lot of guys do just that. Personally I would rather have more lines to choose from and more guys junior to me on the seniority list!