Pinnacle Question

[altimaklr]

PBS .... think of it like a buffet spread. It starts with a full display of food, and the older people take what they like... once it gets to you, depending how old (senior) only the scraps are left. You can choose what scrap you want the most.

 

[Speedtape]

PBS .... think of it like a buffet spread. It starts with a full display of food, and the older people take what they like... once it gets to you, depending how old (senior) only the scraps are left. You can choose what scrap you want the most.

That is a great analogy. However, please explain how line bidding is any different? You get what your seniority allows under both systems.

 

[sinkrate]

That is not always the case of less days off if on the bottom. I bid 50% in base and in the top 25ish % of the company. I always get stuck with 11 to 12 days off while people 30 numbers junior are getting 14 off with the way our PBS builds lines.

Reason: All pilots my seniority get lines built to
85+ hours a month. Those near the bottom have a target of about the same but if the computer runs out of trips to give them and they have at least 75 hours...that is what they get for a schedule...usually 14 ish days off. If it builds it to 74:59 then they get reserve added to their lines to put them over 75 and put them at min days off.

Last month I got stuck with non commutable pairings while junior people got commutable trips and more days off. I was scheduled for a whole 8 days home last month with my commute....Just lovely!!!

If you have the option to drag out the trial period, I would say do so at all costs!

I don't know which vendor your airline uses but it is obviously not one of the better ones.

There are over ten PBS programs/vendors available and everyone of them is unique. No two programs use the same process to build lines. A few of them are quite good and most of them, from a pilots perspective, are junk.

The success of the good programs, from the pilots perspective, will be determined by what the pilots negotiate. The 'good programs' are typically very powerfull 'matrix algebra/operations mathematics' progams that can make life very miserable for a pilot group if the appropriate protections have not been negotiated and secured.

An example of this is the Kronos progeam. It is a 'good program' that has been implemented successfully at some carriers and horribly at others.

All of the good math based programs (Kronos, Carmen Systems) require learning a new 'language' in order to bid successfully. It will take some time before you get good at it.

The logic based systems (Navtec is a good one) are much easier to learn but the line construction engine is not as powerfull. The pilot group will learn to use it quicker but ultimately they will not be as happy with the results.