Preferential Bidding information

[stillaboo2]

My company is looking at PBS software. I've heard on this board that Northwest has the best system, called 'Airwares'. My understanding is that Northwest has a propriatary system. Is this system saleable to other companies as 'Airwares'?

Any info on Sabre, Adopt, or how AmericaWest or United implement it would be helpful as well. I just want what's best for my pilot group.

Thank you for your time. PM if need be.

 

[typhoonpilot]

We switched to Adopt about 9 months ago. There are a couple of guys from Air Canada on the pilot advisory board and they both say it works great when left alone to do it's thing. The trouble with it comes when management imposes silly restrictions in the process. A lot of our pilots complained about some of the limitations on it, but that was more a teething probelm than anything.

In April I'm in the top bid group ( mind you, I am very junior in my group ) and got everything I asked for. Even in my lower groups I tend to do pretty well, especially using some of the avoid functions.

We had SBS before Adopt. I'm not sure that is commercially available. It worked a little better, but had some difficulty with the new flight and duty limitations and larger number of crew so we had to switch to a system that could handle our growth.

You should try and get a hold of some AC guys to ask more about Adopt as they have the most experience with it.

TP

 

[AKAAB]

I believe Airwares is now owned by NavTech. The preferential bidding software is call CLASS.

http://http://www.navtechinc.com/

 

[stillaboo2]

What about the use of 'flightline' as an interface? What are the drawbacks and the positives? Who uses it?

I've read that Delta Express had Adopt and got screwed by it. I seek to not make the same mistakes that Delta Express pilots made, if indeed they made any.

 

[Realistic]

You need to carefully research every program and determine which will fit your company/pilot group best.
But your biggest questions are these:
1. Who owns open time? When it all goes away, will you have any contractual rights to artificially generate open time? Don't believe your company when they tell you this is a tool that they've discovered to make your life better - that's just the selling point. This is about millions and millions of dollars. Planned absences are the point here. When those go away, open time goes away - and if you're not careful - so does your quality of life or, in many cases, your fat paycheck.
2. Who controls the software? You had better have equal access to the controls or the temptation to "optimize" you into oblivion will be too great. Make sure you have pilots who are democratically elected/appointed by the pilot group and not hand picked by the company. Bean counters always win unless you have someone with real stones on your committee.
3. Make sure there are frequent reports/statistics that come back to the pilot group and make sure those statistics are complete with numbers like junior manning, daily time off requests denied, etc. Looking at average daily credit does not tell the whole story.
4. Always fight for as much open time as you can get. Open time is like an accumulator. It varies to allow for time off, greater pay, swaps, etc. The problem is, open time requires reserves and reserves cost a lot of money. Make sure the company knows that you understand this and that if they want you to sign off on Pref Bidding that they will not have free reign to staff the airline with 100 fewer pilots. When the company tells you that staffing is none of your business - tell them that staffing is part and parcell to the whole package. Staffing and scheduling are not seperate issues.
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY! Make sure you get a trial period with a sign off by the pilot group - preferably a vote. If after a year, the pilots feel that they are being crapped on - then they should be able to vote it out.
Hope this helps,
Realistic