Pbs

[slaquer5]

PBS is awesome


Just ask any CEO of an airline. It's a 10 % pay cut for the work group, without most of them realizing what hit them .

 

[wms]

I made 10k more the first year of PBS, in fewer days per month. I consistently get more days off per month with PBS because the company is incompetent at building efficient lines.

 

[JetMonkey]

I'm the lower 10% in my base. PBS for me means, bidding in less than 60 secs instead of spending half of the trip scanning through pairing books. I like to give myself a stretch of 6 or 7 days off every month and I usually get it. It's like having a vacation week every month.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Ask yourself, who's idea is it....... there is your answer. Companies love it because they get more work and the ability to add flying at their choice. If implemented by the people who are going to actually use it it can be decent, depending on the software. If the company implements the process, watch out, if the sicktime and vacation accrual rates are not adjusted you will lose. I bid in the top 30% of my domicile and in the top 15% of the company and I dislike it, during the summer I get to fly 95 hours a month, since a couple of super senior guys take 3-4 weeks of vacation at a pop, the company just piles their flying onto my schedule, because they can.....

 

[LearLove]

I used it when I was j4j at Rep. (2006 to 2008). I found that I got good results when I kept my "inputs" to a minimum. Meaning the less parameters I gave it the more likely I got what I wanted. That said because I commuted (based in DCA) all I wanted was 4 days trips and 3 to 4 days off between. Also looking at the trips at the time the ones with DH's in them were really bad (unproductive) so I avoided them. So my pref bid would have 2 parameters:

1. no deadheads
2. 4 days trips

and I would get a line with 4 4day trips blocked for 80ish hours. Or 3 4 days and a 3 day. I was single and no kids so I really didn't care about weekends of or even holidays. If for some reason I needed a particular day of I'd put that before "no deadheads".

It pretty much worked for me but I have low expectations/needs. Also if your junior it really depends on how savvy/smart the senior guys are WRT bidding. If they don't care or screw up the bid you wind up with the good stuff.

 

[Noodles]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I haven't worked anywhere that had it, and was curious how everyone's experience with it has been.

 

[Junkflyer]

Your union must be in in the process, the parameters are everything. We have the ability to bid min, regular or max. Meaning we can fly 75-95+ hours per month by choice. Lots of other gotchas involved so whatever you agree to should be well researched. It is a huge benefit to the company so the pilot group should also reap some type of benefit for agreeing to it.

 

[711-24-7]

Loved it at my last airline (we had it negotiated to program it properly), can't wait to get it at my new employer (given if we negotiate the programing of PBS properly, not a good track record for negotiations here).....PBS love it! I have used it as reserve and a schd holder.

 

[Skywest Pylot]

That is the key...it depends on the contract language implemented surrounding it.

best ways to get a schedule as a pilot...

1. Well implemented PBS system including proper software and proper contract language.

2. Paper Bidding.

3. Dart board at pairing sheet.

4. Chickens walking on pairing sheet and watching where they crap.

...
99. Your worst enemy picking your schedule for you.
100. Poorly implemented PBS system with cheapest software and no contractual protections.

#100 = SkyWest.