Who's using PBS?

[canyonblue]

You say the company is pushing for it because it is more efficient. How is that good for the pilots (less pilots doing more flying)?

Regrettably on the Passenger carrying side of aviation, we are all in the battle of our lives. Every carrier is looking for ways to cut costs and become more cost-effective. We all must now work more productive to ensure that the most is being done with the least. If Southwest needed to cut 30 Million from the Flight Ops budget and it was either instate PBS or cut our pay, well we can all live with it being PBS. Unfortunately the Gravy Train has derailed.

 

[Big Beer Belly]

Unfortunately the Gravy Train has derailed.

Now THAT is a classic quote if I've ever heard one! <g>

 

[TWA Dude]

You say the company is pushing for it because it is more efficient. How is that good for the pilots (less pilots doing more flying)?

It isn't, but it's a small price to pay. A company hiring pilots will slow down the hiring for a while but once that hump is passed hiring is normal.

Then you say PBS will NOT allow for conflicts (vacation, training, carry-in) ... again, how is this good for the pilots?

What's good about PBS is the ability to construct a schedule with trips that meet with your desires to begin with. For instance, back in my heyday with TWA I had a schedule with every weekend off, only three-day trips, no flying before noon, no "productivity" breaks, layovers at my cities of choice and never shorter than sixteen hours. I had no need to trade with that. Junior guys who just want a specific day off can bid for that and still perhaps get some trips that are to their liking. With line bidding you'd have no choice but to bid lines that have that day off and get stuck with whatever else is there.

As far as open time. Simple logic would dictate that if PBS is more efficient, then more flying will be flown by less pilots, thus less open time would be available ...

No, pilots will still fly x hours per month with PBS. The amount of open time is determined by how many lines the company decides to build. Usually the percentage set aside for open time is contractual.

... unless, of course, the company furloughs the newly created surplus pilots created by the more efficient PBS.

No union would allow PBS implementation to cause furloughs. The best time is during a time of expansion.

Since reserve is generally a good deal at UPS (average 3-4 days per month of utilization), how would PBS affect the reserve schedules?

No change, really.

Look, there's always guys who are very adept at trip-trading to get what they want out of line bidding. PBS obviates the need. At three different airlines now I've had PBS and line-bidding at two. I'm sold on it.

 

[calfo]

I talked PBS over with our LEC Pres., and from what he says, PBS would smooth out the need for a "bubble" of reserves at the beginning of one month to the next (at schedule changeover). So, the cost saving for management is right there, in less pilot staffing required. I like the fact that with line-bidding now, I can bid a line that touches trips on either side of a week's vacation and end up with two weeks off. We don't get paid for dropped trips (unless the flying touched by vacation exceeds 26:36 - a week's vacation pay).

I just like the time off. I could pick up trips to be "more productive", but I don't like the idea that the decision will be made for me (to be more productive) by PBS.

 

[intrepdtrvlr]

PBS rocks. You want the wedding, BBQ, graduation off? No problem. Senior guys get the best trips, but even junior guys can control days off, start/off times for commuting, etc. I remember being 110 of 130 and looknig through lines. Yikes! PBS solves it all. Put in your parameters, don't get carried away beyond your seniority, and relax. Vacation months I can still prefer off either side and turn 7 into 14 off.

 

[StaySeated]

I have worked with both the "hard line" process and the "pbs" process and can say with some reservation that the pbs system is superior. While it is true that pbs eliminates any and all overlap and SIGNIFGANTLY saves the company money, almost every pilot can enjoy some control over their schedule. That being said, I would only agree to a coversion to pbs if language was in place to drop/add trips with ease in an effort to free up days prior to vacation or training. Additionaly, pbs fails miserably in solving any carry in problems, so don't fall for that line. PBS's solution for solving "carry in" is 100% reserve coverage for the first three days of the month. This is a solution in the eye of the company because all of the reserve pilots cannot observe that fact that none of them have those days off.

 

[Juan Tugo]

Ok, here's a question for the PBS gurus out there:

Let's say *hypothetically* that SWA got PBS. So let's play with some factors here and if one of the gurus could give some insight into it, that would be great:

• Mid-Level Seniority Capt. or F/O
• Let's say there are 3 particular days in a 34 day month that he really wants/needs off (B-days, BBQ, Anniv, etc.), and the dates are scattered out maybe one per week.
• He also wants Mon, Tues, Wed to be his flying days during the week
• and, he has vacation next month, so he wants the last week of the month off

So, would the output be "Doable and here's how:..." -or- "Put away the crack pipe and try again."

Any other scenarios welcome, just wanted to see what would be possible.

 

[TWA Dude]

So, would the output be "Doable and here's how:..." -or- "Put away the crack pipe and try again."

Not exactly sure what you're asking. You can bid for all those parameters (and more) easily. You must assign a level of relative importance (point value) to each parameter and based on seniority PBS will grant you all it can. At mid-level seniority you may or may not get all you wish -- though you'd certainly get some or most -- it just depends on how those senior to you bid.

 

[C77MD80]

I used PBS along with TWA Dude and must say the way we had it programmed it was awesome. Having said that, it follows the garbage in = garbage out philosophy in computers. At Twa, we had Ad Opt, a much superior product than the PBS my current employer (not Continental) is trying to sell our union. I still think that any program can be decent as long as you program it properly. You'll never get the super long vacations that you can create as a conflict in a vacation month. Personally, I find myself grumbling about my schedule 11 months out of the year and ok with only the vacation month. I'd much prefer PBS. Senior guys are always going to be bitchn about the vacation drops, obviously because they have the most vacation.

Good Luck, let us know what program it is and if you get it.

 

[sfomarc]

Vacation months I can still prefer off either side and turn 7 into 14 off

Last year I had two 7 day vacations that each became 20.
Let's say *hypothetically* that SWA got PBS. So let's play with some factors here and if one of the gurus could give some insight into it, that would be great.

I am in the same boat as not knowing much how PBS works but it is my understanding that all trips just go into the computer you build what you can and the sh*t is left for open time. Which to me means forget about FLL overnights and welcome DTW. Forget about weekdays, hello weekend, forget about late starts and early finishes unless you are closer to the top.

Enlightenment please