crewdawg

You want to use Clear Schedule Start next. Just realize you need to put in a positive preference (award XX pairings) for all the other stuff you want as well. The CSSN is stopping short of the system generate "award pairing" line, so you can't just do negative bids (prefer off/avoid/etc...) and rely on the award pairings line. Check out the composite reports to see how others are doing it. Recommend a category that is heavy with former NWA pilots (MSP320A is probably a safe bet), they love them some CSSN.

myrkridia

I believe that's one of the few times you'd want to use Clear Schedule and Start Next but you want to be careful with this function since it will wipe out anything you might have already got by that point

Buck Rogers

Don't know what kind of seniority you have or if you are domestic or international....but... as a top 30% international guy, I would bid like I suggested. There might be one really good trip I wanted(say a 9 day trip(P156) on the 10th) and then numerous 6 day trips that would fill me up. So, I might put 30 lines in to get me the schedule I wanted.

1. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 23rd
2. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 24th
3. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 25th
4. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 6 day ICN on 26th
5. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG on 23rd, followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG on 26th
6. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 23rd, followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 26th
7. Award P156 on 10 July followed by 3 day trip layover in CDG or AMS on 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, max time between trips 30 hours

So I would layer it like this with the trip I really wanted first. Be mindful, if you run out of options to fill your schedule later in the month and need to move to the CDG or AMS trips at the beginning of the month, the computer does exactly what you tell it and it cannot award a followed by if that trip doesn't physically (calendar) follow what you are trying to get. In that case, I might go to:

8. Award 3 day AMS or CDG on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, max time between trips 30 hours, followed by P156 on 10th.

As a commuter, I wanted to minimize my commutes and stack all my flying in the longest blocks I could. Consequently, the max time between trips of 30 hours. (I would look at the block in time of one trip and figure out when the next trip signed in and make that 30 hour number appropriate so that i could be legal to finish one trip and the next day go out on the trip that I wanted.

I know it sounds tedious, but I'd rather spend one or two hours bidding telling it exactly what I wanted than scrambling trying to rectify my screwed up schedule due to my lack of initial effort.

OBTW, at the end, once I put all the good stuff together, then it is "clear schedule start next" and start your next bid group. Hope this helps. Cheers.

Sputnik

Domestic, top 20%.

For me I'll need three total trips to hit the window (vacation month).

So it'll be an: award xxx, followed by xxx, followed by xxx

It does help, thanks.

dragon

One thing to be aware of is the threshold. That is set by the PBS administrator and will determine at what point PBS will stop trying to shove stuff onto your line. If you want to be in the bottom of the LCW you may have to put something at the end of your bid to force it to stop. I've been using "Avoid pairingss greater than 0 days" as the last bid I put in before you get to the "Award Pairings" line (which can't be deleted) You can also bid a min credit line but that is also controlled by the administrator and can be totally ignored. Check out the Delta PBS help channel on YouTube as well as some of the stuff on the EFB.

Sputnik

Where is that channel? I watched videos in the past, but I can' tfind it anymore.

Good point about the "greater than 0 days."

dragon

I am showing my age. Channel seems to be gone. There is one video about using the WebAPP but most everything else seems to be on the PBS page at DALPA. https://dal.alpa.org/Topics/CONTRACT/PBS

Wipeout

Sorry if this has been answered previously, I looked but couldn’t find anything. Are the mandatory retirement numbers posted on the Delta profile still correct, or are those prior to early outs due to covid? Thanks in advance.

crewdawg

If he's bidding individual trips to fit a line, as in award these three trips with a CSSN, then the threshold is irrelevant. If you're in the LCW, you won't be denied a line just to get above the threshold. At his seniority this should be a viable option. But your point is a good one for those who are not sniping individual trips.

cornbeef007

Yeah…I wonder if Virgin Australia is kicking themselves because we opened the floodgate and added that extra Sydney 3 times a week. I don’t think United is touching us on Australian capacity going forward.