PBS at CAL

[AA717driver]

Remember...strong union oversight is a must. Otherwise ANY PBS system can create chaos and headaches.

That's why it'll never happen at AA. TC

 

[densoo]

strong union

That would be an oxymoron here.

 

[pkober]

Worry,

We need to write a PBS resolution form for every single problem in every single bid group once scheduling takes over. If you have 20 bid groups with small problems send in 20 PBS resolution forms. Call them about every one also. Make life a living hell for the company. Maybe then they will see the problems with PBS.

TC,

I agree. This is going to be the biggest issue on our new MEC's plate. Alott of people, myself included, are watching to see if they have the ball$ that they say they have. They need to get this PBS fixed, now. A ALPA pilot group is hurting and I have heard nothing from ALPA national. This could be another example of a local union being better that a national union. At least I'm paying dues so Prater can get almost $500,000/yr and never worry about his schedule.

 

[cal73cap]

Our PBS system is way overcomplicated. I have talked to PBS trainers and even had a very senior Trainer/Captain in my jumpseat last week. He said that if they didn't have enough choices pilots would complain about that! So they just couldn't win. I am 15% in IAH on the 737 and of course I am lucky to get what I ask for, however I am about to go to Capt. on the 757 and will drop to 50%, I am sure I will then have some complaints. This is a very confusing system that I wish could be simplified. Is the old line system better, not really, just easier to understand. A lot of pilots just haven't figured out PBS. The clue is to Set, AVOID, and Award! Guys will know what I am talking about.

 

[Pat Fabin]

I have to say, I really like our PBS at DAL. I was pretty skeptical, having been used to bidding lines for so long. I'm very junior in my category and I still basically get what I'm looking for (particular days off). The more senior guys can literally create their own lines. I rarely hear any complaints about PBS....if I heard anything it was in the beginning.

Its a very simple system to use. The only drawback was that the lines took a while to come out, but since most of the bugs have been worked out the lines are usually out in a day or three from the closing date.

Don't get me wrong, you can hose yourself too...but you could do that bidding the old way too. And the way it handles vacation is pretty decent...not quite as good as the old days with 'trips touching' but I have yet to work right up until vacation unless I put a trip there myself.

 

[kaisersose]

Carmen/Jepp/Boeing PBS sucks.

The Alpa PBS committee bought this pos and now won't admit they made a big mistake. So then everything is our fault or the company's implementation is to blame. The line pilots have no one on our side with this issue. The company can sit back and laugh because they are the only ones this system works for. If it wasn't so disgusting it would be laughable to watch the committee and trainers defend this miserable failure. They say it is the under staffing that makes system go into overall solution constraints for a majority of the pilots. The staffing is fine on the 777 and we still get splat around 50-60% so they then say we are overstaffed. They blame low productivity trips for splat on the domestic side but tell us on the 777 our trips are too productive and there are not enough low time trips to fill in with. There is always an excuse but never will they admit, even though it is obvious, it just can't handle the job.

All the trainers say is how powerful the system is and we got the best product and how the other airlines chose inferior products blah blah blah. They love this thing and until we have someone on our side we are stuck with it. They are like Ford dealers selling Pintos in the 70s, they know it is going to work for crap and eventually blow up but they keep smiling and selling it to us.

 

[pkober]

Our PBS system is way overcomplicated. I have talked to PBS trainers and even had a very senior Trainer/Captain in my jumpseat last week. He said that if they didn't have enough choices pilots would complain about that! So they just couldn't win. I am 15% in IAH on the 737 and of course I am lucky to get what I ask for, however I am about to go to Capt. on the 757 and will drop to 50%, I am sure I will then have some complaints. This is a very confusing system that I wish could be simplified. Is the old line system better, not really, just easier to understand. A lot of pilots just haven't figured out PBS. The clue is to Set, AVOID, and Award! Guys will know what I am talking about.

This system is a POS. Sets, avoids, etc.. have nothing to do with it. The problem is that the system looks past your seniority to see if what you should get will affect some one junior to you. It shouldn't matter how your bid affects some one junior to you. When I called the "union" about this problem, there answer was that I am just at that seniority range, 60% ish, that gets screwed. No advice on how to get relief, just the typical "sucks to be you" reply.

I agree that egos are now preventing us from getting relief from this problem. No one high up at the union wants to stand up and say the system sucks. They are all apologists for PBS.

I don't know if PBS is screwing us or the union.