Gone Flying

didnt their union get some control over how pairings are built?

nothing stopping them from building awful pairings and putting them in line awards instead of PBS.

From what I hear, some companies have amazing line bidding (SWA) and would be insane to give that up. but just like PBS, how good the system is has more to do with your contractual rules rather than line vs PBS.

tennisguru

Actually, those have been eliminated from all our trips.

Scoop

The amount of airline Pilots that don't understand this is truly staggering. PBS does not allow/preclude trips touching or any of the other good/bad stuff that is associated with it. PBS is essentially a computer program that turns our PWA into a schedule via the bidding process. Great PWA rules - great schedule with or without PBS. Crappy PWA work rules - unleash the Sodomizer! PBS can allow trips touching and all the good stuff that Pilots associate with LOT bidding. LOT bidding was historically restrained in its ability to "screw" us by limited computing power/antiquated software as well as our PWA.

I have always done better with PBS than LOT bidding and it makes sense since there are way more options when bidding a LOT schedule. Yes the very senior guys get to cherry pick trips instead of LOT bidding with two premo trips and a turd thrown in to sort of balance it out. But even when I was near the plug I was always able to have way more scheduling control with PBS. Besides since there are so few good trips domestically and all international trips are similar - schedule control seems way more important now than ever.

If we were offered LOT bidding with the exact same PWA I would choose PBS - no brainier IMHO.

Scoop

iaflyer

Exactly.

The "problem" is that PBS came around to Delta around the same time as the work rules got decimated. So - many people think PBS "caused" the problems.

Southwest could still have their great work rules (touching vacation, etc) and use PBS. Everyone over there is so gun-shy from what happened at other airlines when PBS came in at the same time as the work rules changed a lot.

Gspeed

That's not accurate because PBS will allow if your contract allows it. It's just a matter or programming.

For example, NavBlue has the ability to drop trips that touch a vacation block, but NavBlue for Delta doesn't allow it because the PWA doesn't allow it.

Baradium

You said the same thing

Gspeed

No. He said PBS doesn’t allow it.

PBS does allow it; it’s just that our flavor of it doesn’t. There are lots of different PBS programs in the industry and work groups (and contracts) that use them so let’s be factual before we paint with broad strokes. K thanks.

Iceberg

He said the program does not allow/preclude it, as in, the program is not the limiting factor, it’s the book behind it.

Gspeed

If he had said “our PBS doesn’t allow it..” then I’d agree with you. He didn’t, but I get the point you’re trying to make so I’ll let it slide.

chrisreedrules

Having used both line bidding and PBS I can say unequivocally that line bidding is better.