ZapBrannigan

No.


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Winston

Acknowledging and agreeing with the above statement that schedule bidding and vacation award/drop protocols are two separate matters (which can be negotiated to protect situations like the OP’s), I can relate that I have been a junior reserve through senior line holder in both systems, at both a regional and a mainline carrier, and that I vastly prefer PBS across all categories and seniority.

Generally speaking, the ability to micro-dictate one’s schedule regardless of seniority is vastly improved with PBS, and even with my current 30% seniority I have have a schedule that is way better than was ever available under hard lines. My schedules mid range (50-70%) were also way better because every individual has different desires and you can just arrange the puzzle pieces in a manner that wouldn’t be available to you in a hard line system. Junior schedules suck, but junior schedules always suck.

Again, this is all a separate discussion from how you handle vacation drops and I would absolutely find a way to hold onto that provision, but it’s not an either/or decision and does not take away from the value of PBS.

Skyward

No min credit at SWA

SlipKid

PBS?

Is it time to vote YES! again already?

Great idea!

Along with over hiring and vacation bidding changes, let's completely destroy what's left of our QOL, productivity, flexibility and pay by voluntarily going to PBS.

With this apathetic pilot group, it'd be decades, if ever, before we figured out all the ways in which we screwed ourselves via unseen loopholes etc.

Look at our current contract language, on pretty much any subject, if you question this.

Didn't most pilot groups consider PBS a concession?

Skyward

I worked at a company with PBS in a previous life. I felt like I had a really good handle on it and thought PBS was the only way to go. I was a little skeptical when I first got hired at SWA if I would like the line bidding as well. Now, I would never trade it for PBS. I’m a firm believer in our bidding at SWA! 18 days off... as a newhire... over the summer, but almost everyone’s getting at least 17 or 18. I like it.

I don’t have a full week of vac yet because I’m new, but my couple of days yielded me 21 off for the month and 86 credit. Can’t wait until I have 2 full weeks to use.

e6bpilot

PBS is a give to the company. That is the definition of a concession. They just sell it to the pilots with bullet points about getting the days off you need and dictating your own schedule. Meanwhile, they laugh all the way to the bank.

Skyward

PBS would be a huge concession for us. I would vote no for that change.

symbian simian

Only know Spirit.
Originally I thought we would end up with vacation award after line award, but it ended up being a minimum of 9 days off pr week, extendable to 21 days off (seniority permitting) with more vacation credit taken out off your bank (if I understand it correctly, haven't dealt directly with it yet).
Training, unless waived is supposed to be on work days, but we already traded our awesome training rules for a shiny new iPad, so...
Also, we had the best conflict language AFAIK, if you could end your month with a 6-day block, and start the next with a 6-day block, they would have to drop 6 days with pay protection, with no requirement to add anything. This would invariably lead to junior assignments (voluntary, at 200%) during the first week of the month. Loads of people added an easy 20hr credit AND extra days off every month. I don't think we would have kept that regardless of PBS, but PBS definitely don't help....

symbian simian

I see the SWA schedule up close at home every month, and it is wayyyy better than what I have with line bidding. The thing that makes it better isn't directly related to line vs PBS, it is because your pairings are built better, and you have a average vs minimum days off per month. As long as there is 12 days off on every hardline, I am supposed to be happy. SWA has to give you average 17 days off (give or take). They could have PBS, as long as they keep that same rule, the lines would still be better than mine. The rules matter more than the system.

Grumpyaviator

We had probably the best PBS in the industry at my last company. It was awesome and you could turn 1 week into 3 with weekends off if you bid right. But I would never give up line bidding at SWA, even for that.

It’s not so much PBS vs line bidding as it is the negotiated rules and we have great rules and unmatched flexibility. What you can’t do in the initial bid you can make up for with ellitt and ttga.