CousinEddie

So with good seniority, you ask for that HNL trip, you get it. Further down the list, there are fewer crumbs left to spread around to build lines to all the way down to the G-line. In that situation, if you are given that HNL trip along with your other requests, the solution can't be completed. All you see is someone junior to you got the HNL trip you wanted.

Maybe what needs to be looked at is getting rid of the G-line restriction. Put more guys on reserve to satisfy more senior bidder requests as needed. That way, the system will give you that HNL trip since it won't have to hang on to it to build a specified number of legal lines. Of course, pilots that are sitting just above the G-line probably wouldn't be happy with that idea.

buscappy

thanks
well explained

Dave Fitzgerald

So, when I waive everything, and submit a bid group that asks for nothing, yet a guy gets a line below me? I realize I can't hold squat. But how in the world does this system award 4 lines to more junior people and the PBS guys defend the system??

This needs to change.

CousinEddie

You were probably the victim of having an upcoming month with a "clean slate." In other words, you had a month with no non-flying schedule interruptions like a PC or vacation. The system has to complete an overall reserve solution, just like it has to complete an overall line solutution. It has to fill each day of the month with the required number of reserves, as determined by the company and based in part on historical data. Obviously, it has to build Contract / FAR legal reserve lines to do so. The problem is, when a pilot has a pre-planned schedule interruption, it messes up fitting that pilot into the overall reserve solution due to the period of unavailability. You, with your clean slate, can be fit into the overall reserve solution since you don't have those restrictions. The end result is that you get reserve while the guy below you with a problematic schedule interruption is left out of the reserve solution and given a line. In a subsequent reserve month where you have an interruption, you then have the same "advantage" in getting a line if you want one.

That's what I gather happens. Is there an agreeable way to prevent a junior below G-line pilot from getting a line over a more senior below G-line guy regardless of pre-planned schedule interruptions? If there is, I think we should be asking for it. Ideally, any leftover trips after line construction should go to the most senior reserve that does whatever waiving may be needed to get them.

Dave Fitzgerald

You pretty much nailed it, and we went along with not fixing it for the contract extension.

I think we should be asking for it too. Time to stop kicking the can down the road. This needs to be a priority for this contract.

Grumble

For the slow kids (old) who can't seem to figure it out....

baseball

So the professor pulled rank over Gilligan when he had no rank.

Clearly the first mate of the ship should get his first choice after the Captain. The professor was merely a passenger on the ship, he shouldn't have even been allowed to vote.

Maybe the passengers are getting the good lines of time that I think I should be getting. Either that, Or I've gotta start buying the skipper dinner and see if he can pass Ginger my way.

buscappy

or gilligan should have only put into his pools the chicks he really wanted awarded

nice job baseball. an idiot in two different strings on the forum in the same week !

Regularguy

Sadly or not so sadly, depending on who gets what, the PBS does consider a whole lot of stuff. The most important thing to remember is PBS only looks at what is available in your personal bid pool of trips when it runs the solver.

So if all you put is AWARD Flying and leave it neutral a pilot Jr. to you may still get a better line and maybe a line over reserve. Now how can this be?????

If that pilot Jr. to you carefully selects trips and ranks them H++ to L-- the solver logic will consider that pilot's desires over the more senior pilot. Why?

Let's say trip FXXXX is desired by the Jr pilot at H++ and the more senior
just lists neutral and there is another solution, including reserve, that will fit the more senior pilot it may give the trip to the Jr. pilot.

What you say? Yep, I have seen that happen more than once to my F/Os.

It is absolutely important that you test multiple options with the BAT and not just blanket bid AWARD Flying. If you want to L/O somewhere rank it H++ or if check-in times are important rank those also. Basically rank your trip choices and your chances improve considerably.

Also do not forget that setting the hours spread will also make a difference. If one has a non-flying event in the line and you put a high set for hours it is likely you may not get that bid line at all.

Yes it get complicated and the more Jr. one is the more complicated it becomes if you actually want something.

Grumble

The lesson, is if Gilligan didn't want to be paired with MRS Howell, he should have either avoided her in the pool, or weighted Ginger and Mary Ann H++.